“I am so sorry, Claire,” she whispered as she bent down to brush the dried leaves and debris off her sister’s name. She traced the letters on the cold stone. Her heart felt cold as she relived the pain she’d caused them both. Had she known, would she have acted the same way? Done Josh’s bidding to try to plunge Daniel into darkness?
Kneeling on all fours, she looked up at the face of the Guardian above her, basking in the gaze of her sister’s protector. She couldn’t remember ever being loved like this by anyone in her life—anyone but Jonas.
Perhaps Jonas has awakened this part of myself I never knew was there. She wondered what her childhood would have been like if someone had cared for her like this Guardian, if someone had looked down upon her like this stone angel watched over her sister. She searched her memories and she saw Claire’s face again, smiling down at her.
If Claire had lived, would I have become something other than a dark angel?
Were there seeds of goodness that went unwatered?
She lowered her lips to the cold stone and kissed it. “Thank you. Thank you for saving my life,” she whispered.
Audray stood up and dusted her palms against her thighs. She wiped her cheeks with the backs of her hands and straightened her clothes, brushing her hair back off her forehead. A funeral procession was making its slow way up the hill, but at the last minute, the black hearse diverted to the other side, a long trail of cars following behind.
Someone else’s family in pain.
She took one last look as her car passed by the gravesite. No one would ever know that a dark angel had stopped, kissed the stone of her long-lost family and was humbled at the thought of an ever after filled with warmth and love.
She knew, if she had to make the decision today, she might choose a different life for her and Jonas. But that’s silly. Dark angels don’t have hope. They just have forever. We have forever to be together.
And for the first time in her life, she was full of remorse for her actions.
It was getting dark when she drove down the freeway and came to the Riverbend exit. A large traffic jam impeded her progress, so she was stuck on the two-lane road, searching the horizon. A pyre of smoke ahead of the string of waiting cars told her an accident had happened. She checked her watch. She wanted to get this meeting with her mother over with as quickly as possible. Then she could get out of this dusty town.
Should I tell her I took care of Burt, that I found Claire?
Audray thought about Burt and what her mother had told her.
“Because of your little wings. You used to dance around all the time with those little wings. Sometimes, you’d get so furious at Claire when she made you take them off for bed.”
She’d forgotten this until today. She heard the buzzing and some giggling and for the flash of a second saw a young beautiful face with short blonde hair smiling at her.
Claire. I do remember you. I loved you once. I love you still.
A car horn interrupted her reverie. The trail of cars began to move and there was a gap. Her Maserati roared to life, and she soon exited. A handsome uniformed policeman gave her a polite bow and smile as she passed.
The smoke was not coming from the freeway, but off in the distance a short way. Like a beacon, her car followed. It was on the way to the trailer park. The closer she got, Audray realized it was coming from the park itself. Red fire trucks had blocked the entrance, and men in yellow slickers were running like ants all over the area. A white Coroner’s van with flashing lights pulled in front of her and was admitted to the park.
Audray stopped in the middle of the road, causing a loud cacophony of honking behind her from impatient drivers. But she barely noticed. She was staring at the sight of her mother’s trailer, fully engulfed in bright orange flames, sending thick black smoke up to the darkening sky above.
Chapter 11
Carl finished up his third class at two o’clock, and had the urge to pop in at the library unannounced in order to see Molly. He thought about calling her first, but was afraid she had changed her mind or decided he was too old for her.
Ten years. That’s not too old. And the way he felt right now, he was up for anything she could dish out, perhaps more. The day was brighter as he sprinted over, his laptop case flapping against his rear in the warm afternoon sun. He removed his bowtie, slipping it into his pocket and then unbuttoned the two top buttons of his shirt.
He zipped his card through the security monitor, and with a sucking sound the automatic doors opened.
He thought he could smell her already. It was a thrilling but ridiculous thought. He searched around the reference desk, between shelves of books in the area. He closed his eyes and yes, he could smell her. Is this some new power she has awakened in me? He couldn’t wait to feel the moist softness of her lips slathered with cherry lip balm, or to delicately pucker her white flawless skin just under her left ear; cause her a bruise with his passion.
His dream was rewarded by the feel of her breasts against his back, as a soft perfumed hand snaked its way between the buttons of his cream colored shirt and worked lower. He whirled around so his eyes wouldn’t miss a single second of her look of lust for him.
God! How I need that look. His arm encircled her waist and he pulled her into his chest, lowering his lips to hers as he burst into flames inside. She was his. His in every imaginable way and he willingly became lost in the folds of her clothes, the tendrils of her fiery hair and the smell and feel of her flesh pressed against his.
The long feeding kiss was beginning to attract attention as he heard someone clear her throat. He stared into the disapproving jowls of the head librarian, standing not more than ten feet from the two of them.
“Professor. This is not the place.”
Carl looked from her stern face to Molly’s. “No, it’s not,” Molly agreed, smiling.
“I’m sorry,” he barely got out before Molly grabbed his hand and led him in the opposite direction. The librarian’s body stood rigid. Carl knew he would hear from the Dean about this.
But I don’t care anymore.
Molly slipped them through a side door into the stacks room she opened with a pass card. He reached for the lights, but she grabbed his hand and placed it on her breast. The smell of old books and curled yellowed sheaves of paper sent a thrill up his spine. He felt called to adventure, daring, young and bold. The perfect place for a tryst, second only to his own bed.
“Will she follow us here?”
Molly held up a card. “I have hers. I’m doing some maintenance here today.”
“So we won’t be disturbed?”
“Prof…”
“Please, call me Carl.”
“Carl.” She blushed at the use of his name. Carl’s groin jolted so hard he almost fell over. She leaned into him, kissed him slowly, warmly breathing all over his face before pulling away, taking several long seconds. “I didn’t say we wouldn’t be disturbed, but we have a few minutes. Do you think…?”
Carl boosted her onto a wooden worktable and climbed on top of her. He unbuckled and unzipped his pants quickly and let himself be found by her searching fingers. He urgently needed to get inside her before someone else stopped him. He moved her head, lying back in the nest of long red tangled hair. He wanted to see her eyes, sparkling green pools smiling back at him, underscored by her pouty pink lips. His hands searched for panties as she giggled.
No panties!
He adjusted her skirts and plunged in.
This is better than before.
Her back arched as he pumped inside her to the hilt. She exposed the long stretch of her creamy white neck. He saw the light blue vein under her ear pump and pulse, covered with the reddish purple bruise he had put there last night.
You are so delicious.
She brought her hands to his rear and pulled him deeper, moaning, eyes closed. He delicately moved her chin to the left and licked the unblemished skin on the other side, sucking a kiss from her flesh until he felt the welt
developing. She went wild; her internal muscles squeezed him over and over until he could not control himself.
He was lost in the flow of his seed and her need of every drop when they heard the main door open several shelves away.
Molly was up and on her feet so fast, he had no time to get his pants hiked back over his hips. As they stepped into the library from the side door, they escaped discovery by whoever had entered the stacks.
Carl quickly tucked his shirt back in, turning away from students as Molly led him around the corner to the safety of unconcerned library patrons.
He hugged her, but tried not to show passion. “I am so sorry, Molly. I fear perhaps I have cost you your job.”
She nodded her head and smoothed her pink fingers over his chest, toying with his pocket, his buttons, waving her long auburn lashes up and down as if cooling him. It only served to further fan the flames of his desire.
I just can’t get enough of her.
“I think I have a different job, now.”
Job? What job?
She must have seen his confusion. She pressed her mound against his thigh and whispered, “My job is to pleasure you for as long as you’ll have me.”
Somewhere Carl found the strength to look the head librarian in the eyes shortly before he left. “It’s a new relationship. We are both consenting adults, and she isn’t one of my students,” he managed to say.
“It’s a library, Professor!” She spat out with disdain.
“Yes, and you have my word it won’t happen again. But I have to say, I’ve been at this college for almost eight years now, and I’ve seen worse. Much worse.”
She glared back at him, speechless.
“And so have you,” he added before he left the building.
Carl had a big glass of wine ready for Molly when her green Volkswagen rattled up the driveway and sputtered twice after the ignition was turned off. He had prepared a special dinner, complete with some chocolate dessert, anticipating she had lost her job.
She accepted the wine happily and walked past him into the house, carrying a bag over her shoulder. Carl looked down at his canvas slip-ons and smiled. “So, how bad was it?” he asked as he followed her to the living room and took a sip of wine.
“Bad,” she said without turning around. She dropped her bag and her right shoulder, with a sigh.
Carl was quickly behind her, “Well, then can I make it better?”
“Yes. I would like that.” She leaned into him as he folded his body around hers, removed her clip, letting her red curls cascade down to her waist. He pulled her hair aside gently, kissing the bruise he had made on her neck this afternoon.
“I am so sorry that I caused you…pain…”
“No pain. It was wonderful and worth it.”
“Worth it?” he said as he allowed a forefinger to trace down her low cut sweater and breech the top of her bra and then inside. His hand squeezed the wonder of her left breast. It felt like it was her heart he held.
“It was worth every agonizing minute of the two-and-a-half hours I had to stay there, waiting to be with you again.” She turned around and smiled.
“And your job?”
“Well, I’ve lost my stacks privileges, for now. But my advisor called me on the way home, and he said he’d had a pleasant conversation about it with the head librarian, and they shared a good laugh.”
Carl kissed her, almost spilling their wine.
“Not sure what you told her, but my advisor said to let you know you were right.”
Chapter 12
Jonas didn’t touch the angel in front of him who claimed to be a distant relative. He stiffened his spine, stuck his chin out straight and lowered his gaze over the next several seconds until their eyes met. He wanted Rupert to get the full import of Jonas’ size, notwithstanding the fact that he stood a good foot taller than him.
Rupert retracted his arm and grinned, his eyes sparkling in their blackness, his breathing clipped short. Jonas felt inspected like a rare piece of meat served to a diner who hadn’t eaten in a week. Blade’s fingers twitched at his sides, finally making their way into fists. The two companions rose to standing position again and put down their drinks.
Jonas was studying the room, the angles he would have to achieve to slay all three of them. He wasn’t going to look behind him to give away his thoughts, but it concerned him he didn’t know who might have walked into the room. But he would be no use to Audray dead, and he sensed Rupert didn’t care one way or the other.
He who cares least wins.
Jonas worked on his emotions and took a couple of deep breaths. The agitation in his stomach dissipated. Rupert wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of being a hothead or a sacrificial lamb for any cause. He was a little smarter than Peter, although clearly they were both cut from the same cloth. Or from the same womb.
Jonas bent a knee and slanted his stance, putting his hands on his hips like he’d just righted himself after falling off a horse. He used the opportunity to casually look behind him while he spoke. Two strangers blocked the doorway. “For a second there, I thought you said we were related.” Jonas knew it sounded dumber than he thought it would. But Rupert seemed to buy it.
“Yes. And yes, we are.” The dark-haired angel said it as if he wanted to shout it off the tallest building in Undertown.
“And what makes you say something as ridiculous as that?”
“It’s a fact.” Rupert’s eyes smiled even if his lips stayed straight, the color of fresh liver. Jonas could see he was going to keep the conversation short, not volunteer anything, and maybe get him to beg for the answers to the huge question between them.
I’ve never begged. I never will.
Jonas looked around him again and laughed out loud. He was clearly outmatched in strength, and the element of surprise was lost. Now that he had something to go home to, he wasn’t looking for a fight.
But I’m no coward.
No one else had joined him in the laugh. “God, you boys are so serious. You came all this way to entertain me with this. This all you got?”
All five of the men came to attention. Jonas saw they were well trained, and moved as one unit. The only thing Jonas liked about the situation was the fact that Rupert obviously didn’t want to talk to him without some serious backup. It meant he was respected, and that was a comfortable feeling.
“Well, you don’t act like the Red-X fiends running all over Undertown, yet you come here with your little pod, like bullies in the playground. Are we the entertainment here tonight, or did you have some other agenda?” Jonas wasn’t going to come right out and ask. “I mean I’m scared, really fucking scared,” he said as he grinned from ear to ear.
Rupert made a very slight twitch toward him, but at the last minute appeared to reel himself in. Jonas noted he did have a bit of the hotheadedness Peter had. He liked that he could get under this guy’s skin and twist something.
“You gonna kill me, like you said you came here to do? Well then, go right ahead. I might be able to take three of you with me, but I doubt I could take the whole pod. Much as I like dancing and all.”
Rupert looked down and his shoulders softened. “Jonas, I dream of killing you just about every day since I learned of Peter’s death. I hold you responsible. You were bound to protect him, Jonas. As part of the guard, it was your duty.” He bent down and picked up a glass of Apricot and tossed it back. He walked past Jonas, motioning to the two at the doorway to disperse and called back. “I can wait for now. Besides, there’s someone I think you better meet. Come.”
Outside the Pink Pussycat, the two dark angels walked down the wet cobblestoned streets of Undertown. Rupert’s henchmen stayed a safe distance behind them. The smell of Red-X and blood running down the gutters at the sides was stronger tonight. This was the seedier district of the village, and none of it was safe, especially after dark. But for whoever wandered this ancient part, safety was the least of their concerns. This was where dark angels came to get los
t and stay lost, sometimes forever.
The red mist lifted as they mounted the stairs out of the village, into the bustling city above. Only scooters and bicycles—things that could be transported from the human world in a limo—zipped by and tooted at the pedestrians wandering the heavily jammed streets. Jonas was greeted by every female they passed, looking secondarily at Rupert, who seemed to enjoy the added attention.
“You like it here?” he asked Jonas.
“Yeah.”
“But you prefer the human world.”
“I liked this one better until you showed up.” Jonas looked around Rupert. “Where’s your army?”
“My army? Why would I need an army?”
“Okay, then. Your pod of likeminded souls.” Jonas chuckled to himself, thinking it was pretty damn funny.
“Look cuz, asshole extraordinaire, you’re baiting me, trying to make me mad, am I right?”
“Could be.” Jonas was alert to every little drip, scurrying animal or leaf that moved. His nerves were on edge, but he was ready, knew he’d be ready for whatever they were going to throw at him.
They walked along in silence until they got to a heavy locked gate. To the right was a black metal box with a lighted yellow button on it. Jonas knew the big shuttered mansion behind the gate housed the most gorgeous ladies in either world. Only powerful dark angels got to spend any time there. This was Josh’s doing, his way of rewarding his new recruits and dealing favors.
Jonas missed Josh, who had been granted a pardon by the big man in the sky. This was something no one else had ever heard of: a chance to become human once again. If Joshua was good enough, he could become a Guardian himself after his human life was over. This act of grace, pardon and forgiveness, made a profound change in the Underworld. For although everyone who lived there expected their lives to be evil and self-indulgent, with Josh’s pardon, the seed of redemption was planted. It was never talked about, but Jonas knew everyone thought about it whenever Josh’s name came up.
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