Steal Me From Heaven

by Crawford, Toni

  “He kidnapped you. If his intentions were pure then he would have come to me instead of stealing you in the night like a thief.” Malachi pushes his spear into Charles’ rib and through his lung. I hear Charles let out his breath, but he still stands.

  “Now, Marion. The time has come, but it has to be you who kills me,” Charles gurgles in his own blood.

  “I am sorry, Charles. I hope your journey is well and that you can find peace.” I stab my bloody dagger through his back and pierce his heart. He crumbles to the ground and his flesh disintegrates. All that is left are his bones. Before, when he was stabbed by Jacob, he just turned to ash. This time, I know that I have killed him.

  Malachi backs away from me. “What happened to you? I have been searching for days. I thought you were gone.” He retracts his spears and folds in his wings. In his hurry, I hear a ripping sound from behind his back. I see the grimace on his face, and I know that his weapon just sliced him internally. I walk over to him as I see him starting to glow.

  “Drink my blood,” I order. “It will heal you quicker.” He does not need to be offered twice. Pulling my head back by my hair, he latches onto me and bites. I close my eyes and draw in his scent. I have missed him. The blood on my sliced-up shirt is staining his bare chest red. I break his hold on my neck. He is taking too much too quickly. I do not think that he has had any nourishment since I left.

  “Come. I need to get my things from his house, and we will be on our way. It is time that you take me to meet the Fallen. I am ready,” I inform him.

  “Well, I just got you back, and I am not ready.” He draws my face upwards and kisses me. I melt in his arms. Careful not to cut him with my arm bands, I lift my hands over his head and wrap my arms around his shoulders. I kiss him back just as eagerly, pushing my tongue past his lips. His hand is slipping under my clothes. I have to stop this before it goes any further.

  “Malachi, we do not have time. Charles is going to bargain for Jacob’s release as he passes through Purgatory. We have to implant the weapons before he crosses the barrier.”

  He steps back away from me. “Marion, what have you done? Mankind is better off as long as Jacob stays in Hell.”

  “No, you mean that you are better off if he is not here to take his rightful place by my side. The longer he is down there the more damage is done to his soul.”

  “You cannot fix what is already broken. Yes, I know you will leave me the moment he returns so yes, it is safe to say that I prefer he never comes back.”

  I move to slap him across the face. He grabs my arm to stop me. The blade on my arm band slices through his hand. He does not let go. His eyes glow a deeper blue than I recognize. Tensing his jaw, he opens his mouth to speak to me in a slow growl. “No.” I see his fangs flash in the moonlight. My heart skips a beat as I realize that I am seeing his anger directed at me for the first time. He is fierce. I blink my eyes quickly as tears stream down my cheeks. I have always told him that he is my second choice. To be so close to losing me must be devastating to him. I am to him as Jacob is to me. I should show him some respect.

  “I’m sorry. I never should have raised my hand to you,” I say as the anger leaves his face. He lets go of my arm and closes his hand into a tight fist to try to stop the bleeding.

  “I lost control. It is I who should be apologizing. Jacob has been nothing but kind to me. I have no right to claim you. I’m sorry. The time has come for me to be your Guardian once more.” He looks down at Charles’ bones lying on the grass in the shadow. “I need to disperse what is remaining of the Demon so Lilith cannot raise him from the dead. You do not need to go back to the house. I have a residence near the meeting place. None of your clothes would work there anyway.”

  “I am not going back for clothes,” I say as I reach up to caress my neck. He has to notice that the necklace he gave me isn’t there.

  “That is of little importance now,” he says as he starts to pick up bone fragments. I grimace at the sticky substance that stretches among the pieces as he breaks them apart. The juicy noises alone are making me sick.

  “I can’t stay here and watch, and who are you to say what is important to me or not? It is my gift, and I choose to retrieve it.” I turn my back and head towards the house.

  “Are you going to wear it for him when he makes love to you?” His voice is like a knife cutting through the air. I do not turn back to look at him. The sight would only break my heart as his words just did.

  When I reach the house, I enter and grab all of my belongings, which is not much considering they are mostly Claudia’s clothes. I change quickly into something that is not covered in blood. I put my necklace in my pocket. When I am done, Malachi is standing outside. “I told you not to worry about your clothes. Put them down. Did you get the necklace?”

  “Yes, I told you that it is mine. Everyone will just have to get used to it. Where are we staying?” I ask.

  “We are going to transport to the ice mountain; thus, you will have to leave your belongings here. It is located on top of a glacier up north. I know you prefer the cold but your clothes just will not do.”

  “Why didn’t you just say so instead of acting all secretive?” I drop the bag on the front stoop. “What did you do with the body?”

  “It is best that you do not know all of the locations, but he is scattered all over the world. If you cannot contain Jacob, you must kill him and do the same.”

  “Never,” I say before swallowing hard.

  “Then maybe you are not the right Guardian for the job. I will have to find an alternative.”

  “I didn’t ask for any of this,” I remind him.

  “No, your Vampire husband did. Congratulations, you are a newlywed once more.”

  “What are you talking about? You are acting strange.”

  He steps up to me and looks directly into my face. His eyes search for my reaction as he speaks. “Instead of making love to you like I wanted, we spent our last night together fighting. I can no longer touch you, caress you, or kiss you.” He closes his eyes. “Your plan has worked. Jacob just broke through to this realm. We will see him at the committee in five days.”

  I breathe in deeply as I stroke his face. A single tear breaks free and falls onto his chest.

  “We need to go.” Before he even finishes the last word, he flashes his light as he grabs my shoulders. We disappear from the night.

  When we form back together, it is daylight and the brightness hurts my eyes. I strain to look around before I realize that my eyes are still brown. I need to recognize the need to shift a little quicker from Vampire to Angel and vice versa. I shiver against the cold even though I should be immune to it. Malachi apparently is used to it. His is shirtless and the light caresses over each ripple of his muscles. I catch myself before I reach out to touch him.

  “This way,” he says. We walk up some carved-out steps towards a large rectangular opening. The ice is sculpted beautifully and the blue of the sky and the gray of the sea make the glacier look like a little piece of Heaven.

  I do not speak as I enter the massive space. Inside, there are thousands upon thousands of Fallen. Some have their wings expanded but most do not. Malachi grabs my hand and leads me to the front to a large table where eleven men and women are seated. He sits down in the empty chair and leaves me to stand behind him.

  The group of gatherers whisper amongst themselves before Malachi raises his hand. Silence fills the air. Malachi addresses the crowd. “The legend is true. I am here today to seek approval to perform the necessary operation to anoint the Angel-hybrid with weapons, making her a warrior. The woman you see behind me is the chosen one. Her charge just broke through the barrier, and I assume he will seek to find her. We must vote quickly. I will perform the procedure myself and will take it upon myself to kill her and her charge if she fails at her task. You have my word…”

  The rest of his words blur together after he says that he will kill me and Jacob if it looks like I am failing. I guess that
is the alternative that he came up with since I will never kill Jacob myself. I know that Malachi will do as he promises. I regain my composure when I hear him ask if anyone objects.

  “She is part Vampire. How do you know that you are not just making the charge stronger?” someone says.

  “You are coupled with her. I have seen your bond. You almost killed me for even touching her.” That voice belongs to Gerald. I look and see Harrietta nodding in agreement.

  “She is no longer my mate. I am only her Guardian.” Closing my eyes as he says it, I try not to cry.

  Gerald does not let it go. “How can you protect her if you cannot couple with her to make your bond stronger? You do love her?”

  “Always. Our bond was not formed based on sex,” Malachi answers.

  People start whispering all over the room. Gerald speaks again. “Malachi, I am sorry. I did not know.”

  “Are there any other doubts as to my love for her?” No one opens their mouths to protest against him.

  “You may know that the prophecy is true, but how do we know for sure?” a woman calls out.

  Malachi rises from his chair. “You will not believe me on my word alone?” People in the crowd start nodding their heads. Most are in acceptance, but enough waver in their decision. He steps back to me and reaches for my shirt. I know he means to remove it.

  “Now, in front of everyone?” I whisper.

  “Immortals do not mind nudity, but I forget how long you were human. Besides, you will not be totally exposed.” He pulls my shirt over my head. I see him look me over as he steps back. He is no doubt noticing my scar lines from Charles, but then he pauses at my breasts. I know he can see my nipples constricted in this icy cold environment. His eyes start to smolder and lighten. I move my arms to wrap around my chest and ribs. Malachi shakes his head no. I obey and drop my hands to my sides. He turns back to the audience.

  “You can sense that she is Vampire. Yes?” They all nod in agreement. “Good. You shall see that she is also Angel.” He turns his head to me. “There is a time and place for everything.” He reminds me of something he said once before, and I know his meaning.

  I call forth my wings. They rip through my shoulder blades and expand into the space behind me. I hear people gasping, but a few people are grumbling. Not feeling like I convinced everyone in the room, I beat my wings to hover above the crowd. I call forth my light. The ice walls are so bright. People start to shield their eyes with their hands. Listening down below, my sensitive ears pick up a derogatory comment about Jacob. I am angered to the point of projecting my light to strike them down. Needing to pull myself back so that I do not attack my allies, I try to calm myself. Instead, my aura is getting brighter and hotter. My wings look almost silver as they gleam out to my sides. I cannot afford to blow up like a bomb.

  Malachi is watching in awe and fascination. I do not think that he realizes that I am putting everyone in jeopardy. I fly back to the front of the room where he is standing, and land on the table in front of him, my back to the crowd. He is glowing as he runs his hand up and down my leg. “You amaze me more and more every day,” he says.

  “You have to get me out of here. I do not know how to stop from sending out a charging pulse. I am controlling it but I do not know how to stop it from going off.”

  “Turn around,” he tells me. I do so slowly. The fallen Angels are bowing to me in what looks like a ripple of a wave. I look at Malachi and see that he too is on his knee.

  I think that I should address the crowd. I take a deep breath and speak. “The challenge that lies ahead will determine not only the fate of mankind, but victory will also give you all a second chance at judgment. Your loyalty and service mean a great deal to me. I will send word when the war begins. Now rise. Spend time preparing for battle but also spend time holding your loved ones.”

  One by one the people rise. “I think that it is time we leave,” Malachi says. “I assume the vote for the procedure is yes.” The other eleven people at the table raise their right hands and nod yes. Malachi starts glowing before he wraps his arms around my waist. We both flap our wings and head out the large rectangular entryway. He directs me over the sea and releases me.

  “When we are underwater, let off your charged energy when I am far enough away. Fold in your wings before you hit the surface. The entrance to my home is against that iceberg over there about twenty feet below.” Malachi pulls his wings in tightly behind him and nose dives. I follow. Before I breach the water, I collapse my wings back into my body and hit hard. The force makes me lose control of my energy, and it explodes outward like a bomb. The sandy ocean floor swirls all around me. I am temporarily blinded.

  When the substrate clears, I see Malachi is unconscious and floating to the surface. I swim over and up to him. Grabbing his leg, I pull him down to me. I pound his chest to expel any water that he may have swallowed and quickly kiss him before he tries to breathe again. I try to imitate how Jacob saved my life at the waterfall. Parting Malachi’s lips with my tongue, I close my mouth around him and breathe. I feel his chest rise and fall with my hand. We are too far from any shore so I head in the direction of his home.

  I struggle trying to move him through the cold water while continuing to breathe for him. Once I find the opening, I drag him up and break through the surface. We are inside some kind of ice cave. I pull him up the steps and onto a ledge. There is no door but I feel Malachi’s force field. Remembering how I was able to get into Gerald’s home, I turn on my light. Once I realize that I can indeed go in, I grab his shoulders and pull him through.

  I keep moving until I reach his bed. Propping him upon the mattress, I remove his wet pants. His skin is a bluish iridescent color. He cannot keep himself warm while unconscious. I swing his feet up and position him under the massive amount of covers. I strip off my clothes to join him. Once I climb on top of him, I give him several more breaths of my air. He is slow to start breathing on his own. I pound on his chest.

  “Where is your necklace?”

  I turn to see Gerald standing outside the doorway. “How long have you been here?” I ask, mortified, as I flatten myself against Malachi’s chest.

  “No time for modesty, child. I’ve seen them before and like he said, immortals can walk around nude all day and no one would care. Now where is your necklace?”

  “It’s in my pants pocket.”

  “Put it on and warm him up with your body. I know you two had a fight, but he will die if you do not do as I say. You are not married to Jacob until the committee says it is so. Do not hesitate with what is required of you now.”

  “How do you know we had a fight and that we are no longer intimate?” I ask as I reach down to pick up my jeans.

  “Malachi called for me when you went missing. I was close by when Charles died. I arrived moments later and watched the whole thing. After you left, I helped disperse the remains. It is better if no one person knows the location of where all of the bones lie. I will leave you to your task.”

  “What do you want me to do?” I do not completely understand.

  “Wear your necklace and make love to him like you mean it.”

  “But he is unconscious.”

  “If he is to live, then he will respond in time.” I watch him jump off the ledge and back into the water. I do not know why they chose this desolate place for a home. I sit up and put the necklace around me. I lean back down on top of Malachi and kiss him again. I give him another breath, but as I come back up, I pull on his bottom lip. I move my body against him, and I kiss his nonresponsive lips. My fingers curl through his hair. I kiss his eyelids one by one. My breasts graze his chiseled chest. I close my eyes and feel my love for him that I have been trying so hard to deny. My pelvis is rubbing and grinding against his hips. My need is growing even though he does not touch me. I call forth my aura and encase him in my light. His body is starting to warm. I see a flash of light come out of my chest and into him. He stirs beneath me and moans. His voice is weak at first
but grows stronger as he calls my name. I feel his hands slide up and down my sides as I continue to move against him. He is starting to harden in reaction to me. I clasp my hand around his shaft as I kiss his neck and shoulder. I rub him in a soft then hard, long then short pattern. He opens his eyes.

  “Marion, what are doing?” he whispers.

  “I need you again,” I say.

  “No.” He tries to push me off, but I slam him back onto the bed.

  “I am not taking no for an answer. I have a growing need between my legs, and you are going to attend to it.”

  “I cannot satisfy you. You do not want me.” He shoves me harder, and I roll over onto my side.

  “Then you should leave now while I take care of it myself.” Malachi watches as I slip my hand beneath the covers and spread my legs. My breasts rise and fall as I stroke my nipple with my free hand. I sigh. He lifts the covers to get a peek and then lowers them back down. Looking at the door, he gets up to leave. He turns back to look at me. His side profile shows off his massive erection against the white of the walls. “Please don’t go. I need you, and I want you to make love to me.”

  “You are a married woman.”

  “Not until the committee announces it, and I proclaim Jacob to be mine.”

  “That is just a technicality. You know you are his in your heart.”

  “Well, in that case, my heart belongs to you too. You must know that is true.” He comes back around to face me. I am resting on my side, propped up on my elbow. My hair falls behind me toward the pillow.

  “You are beautiful. And I do love you. You saved my life just now. You do not know how much I appreciate that.”

  “Then show me,” I say as I raise the covers for him. He accepts the invitation and gets back in bed with me.

  “Now what was it you were doing with your hand under the covers?” He smiles.

  “Your tongue is much more thorough,” I purr.

  He dips his head beneath the blankets and pulls me up towards him. I raise my thighs for him as I feel his fingers spread my flesh wider. His tongue is warm and moist against me. I relax and give in to his skillful techniques. My stomach is already tightening with anticipation of my orgasm. I do not take long to surrender to my pleasure. I cry out as he quickly pulls me to the side of the bed. He throws the covers off his back and thrusts into me with a fury. This is not his usual style. It is Jacob’s. He is being dominant and rough. I ride the bed as it moves side to side as he pounds into me again and again. I scream as his size is hurting me. After several more cries, I get accustomed to him being so deeply inside me. He leans down on top of me and grabs my shoulders, pulling me down to meet him as he drives forward. I gasp when he bites me. He is being a predator. My eyes darken and I wrap my legs around his waist. I want to bite down hard on his shoulder, but I choose not to. I do not want his blood in me. His voice turns into a pleasurable growl. I feel him release his seed into me and the thought of it makes me shake uncontrollably.