Of Heaven and Hell

by Anthology

  Rory scrunched up his face in annoyance. “I already told Cal I couldn’t go to the club, at least not this week.” Rory stepped backward and brushed Steve’s hand away. “Now stop trying to manipulate me.”

  Callum was feeling uncomfortable about how close Steve was to Rory, and he wasn’t sure why. He was glad when Rory stood up for himself and pushed Steve away. Then, his charge’s friend tilted his head, leaned in again, and whispered, “Oh my god! You like him. You just met the guy and you like him.”

  Callum could feel Rory’s emotions. He was used to reading the people he was charged to protect. However, knowing the physical reactions and emotions were in large part caused by him was overwhelming and strange.

  Callum was amazed when Rory leaned into Steve and whispered back, “Steve, you’re one to talk. You react to women fifty times a day. I’m a guy, too. If you’re allowed, then so am I.” Callum could feel Rory’s indignation and he couldn’t help but smile.

  Steve surprised both Rory and Callum when he turned to Callum, puffed up his chest, and stated emphatically, “Come with us. The party starts at ten tonight. Know this: if you hurt Rory, I’ll break you.”

  Since Callum couldn’t read Steve, he wasn’t sure if he was sincere in what he said, or if it was just for Rory’s benefit. A feeling of extreme uneasiness rushed over Callum’s entire being. His skin started to crawl. Hairs stood on end. He felt nauseous. Callum glanced at Rory and saw a pleading look, which caused another peculiar sensation to rush through him. His stomach churned once more, but in a different way. He felt pained that he might be hurting Rory by disappointing him.

  Callum then reasoned that the best way to protect Rory was to be physically by his side. He straightened his back, smirked at Steve, whose chest was puffier than a Billy goat’s, and said, much too enthusiastically, “Fine. I think I can spare a few hours.”

  As Callum walked away, he addressed Rory, who looked both bewildered and relieved. “I’ll see you in a few, Rory.”

  When Callum turned the corner, he went In-Between and headed back to Rory. Steve was still with him. Callum did not trust Steve, not one bit. Steve’s mind was unreadable, but that wasn’t the only reason. It was also because Steve made Rory uncomfortable.

  According to Rory’s accessible memories, Steve’s hands had roamed onto Rory’s thighs and his backside many times before. It was hard to respect someone’s sexuality, someone’s space, when that someone was repeatedly putting their hands on you, flirting, and making vague sexual innuendos.

  It was something Steve just did. Rory thought it was Steve’s attempt at making him feel comfortable, but it tended to have the opposite effect. Steve could touch Rory. However, he never allowed Rory to touch him.

  Callum knew this was a bit off. He could sense it. Steve’s intimate contact, especially when, like now, Steve’s hand roamed near a very intimate and stiff private area, was meant to keep Rory off-kilter. Callum wanted, and needed, to know why.

  Steve pressed close to Rory, all the while keeping him at bay with an aggressive I-can-touch-you-but-you-can’t-touch-me glare, and whispered, almost seductively, “Rory, let’s leave now. We don’t need this Cal guy tagging along like a love-sick puppy.”

  Hormone-fuelled images of erotic and intimate contact between Steve and himself bombarded Rory. Callum attempted to calmly change Rory’s focus by introducing someone else into Rory’s daydreams. However, it came as a shock to Callum when Rory’s new thoughts were of him, not just some random guy, as was Callum’s original intent.

  However, it did do the trick. Rory was in a much better place mentally to fend off Steve’s attempt to leave immediately for the party. “Okay, Steve, you are the one who invited the guy, not me. It would be rude to not be here. Besides, if we left now we would be way too early. What would I do for two hours?”

  Callum could feel Rory wavering, especially after Steve put his hand on Rory’s upper thigh and squeezed. Steve even had the gall to say, “I’ve known you most of your life, Rory. Who’s more important? Me? Or someone you just met?”

  Rory’s face reddened. He was about to acquiesce when he felt something: a strength generated by an energy permeating through his right shoulder, similar to the sensation he’d experienced a short while ago. Then Callum whispered softly, “Rory, you are a good person. Steve is manipulating you. Be strong. For yourself. For me.”

  At first Callum felt distress coming from Rory. Callum projected a sense of calm toward his charge, hoping it would contain his anxiety and fear. It did. Rory’s back instantly straightened. He arched his shoulders. His lips and eyes flashed to neutral. “Steve, enough. We can either wait for Callu... umm... Cal... and go to your frat party... or I will wait for him alone and go with him to that gay club.”

  Steve looked at Rory with angry fire in his eyes. His fists clenched involuntarily. He then sighed as he hunched his shoulders, “Okay, Rory... I’m going to go, get ready, and come back. If he’s here when I get back, he can come. If not, you and I are going by ourselves.”

  Callum kept the energy on Rory’s shoulder as he whispered, “Be strong, Rory.”

  Rory backed away from Steve. “Go, Steve. And when you come back—don’t be early.”

  Steve smirked, his upper lip curving in an almost-sneer. He grunted his disapproval of the whole thing, turned, and strutted out of the room. Callum wanted to follow Steve in order to find out if he was up to something. However, Rory looked distraught, making it impossible for Callum to leave. He needed to stay by Rory, to comfort him.

  Chapter Three

  RORY PLOPPED onto his bed, sighing, deflated. Callum knew, from deep within Rory’s mind, dealing with Steve took a lot out of Rory. It took so much energy to withstand the feelings Steve conjured up. Rory had even deferred acceptance to a much better university in order to follow Steve here. Steve had insisted on it. Rory could never resist him. It frightened Rory sometimes. Steve had that much control over him.

  As Rory sobbed silently on his bed, covering his face with his hands, Callum moved toward him. He wasn’t even sure himself why he did it, but he knelt in front of Rory. He brought his hands to Rory’s. He could almost physically feel them, even through the dimensional shift.

  Callum concentrated and an energy from his hands crossed through the barrier to Rory’s hands. By moving his own, Callum gently moved Rory’s away from his face. Rory’s head shot up. Callum looked directly into his green eyes. These orbs could express many things. If one looked closely enough, one could see everything about a person through their eyes. Callum could look that closely. Right now he saw fear, but also an intense excitement.

  Without thinking, Callum whispered, “Everything will be okay, Rory. I promise you. I will do everything I can to protect you.”

  Suddenly, Rory shot up off the bed. Callum could actually feel Rory’s energy as it passed through him. Rory was pacing madly, his face flushed with anxiety. Callum could read exactly what Rory was thinking, but Rory, not knowing this, voiced his thoughts. “Who are you? I know someone’s there! Please! Are you a ghost? You have to be there! I can’t be going insane!”

  Rory’s anguish and fear were so real to Callum that he sprang upward and floated to face Rory. Callum then leaned in and pressed his lips as close to Rory’s as he could in this plane of existence, although he wasn’t sure what good it would do, or why he felt compelled to do it.

  The energy released from this inter-dimensional contact was intense. Strange feelings flowed through Callum. Feelings he didn’t understand. Callum knew Rory was going through something similar.

  There were tiny electric sparks dancing around Rory’s lips. The hairs on Rory’s arms and neck were standing at attention. His heart was beating so, so fast. He had even stopped breathing, if only for a second.

  Rory’s thoughts were screaming out: Who are you? What do you want from me!

  Then, Callum heard a quieter whisper. “I wish Callum were here. Why do I wish Callum was here?”

  Callum felt a fam
iliar tingle. Then he was unexpectedly on the earthly plane. He could not understand how this had happened. He wanted to panic, but his attention was too focused on the wide-eyed emerald stare of a certain mortal, whose jaw had dropped and whose vocal chords had miraculously ceased to function.

  Rory’s whole body language screamed “run.” His muscles were tense and his gaze flickered to the door. Callum had to calm him down. “Don’t panic, Rory. I can explain everything.”

  This statement caused a fairly unexpected reaction: Rory started to laugh. So much so, he actually crumpled to a kneeling position. Callum took a step closer to comfort him, but Rory’s arms sprang forth. “Don’t come near me.”

  Callum was at a loss. There were strict restrictions against Guardians revealing their true selves. This wasn’t a regular situation, however. Callum had already divulged his true name; well, at least part of it. There had been a connection between him and Rory from the start. Now this. Callum simply decided to tell the truth. Then, the reason for his sudden appearance became clear to him. “You summoned me, Rory. That is why I appeared. I am a Guardian angel, Rory. You used my true name to summon me.”

  Callum could see Rory struggling with this. He no longer wanted to run. That was good, even if there was still an incredible amount of doubt in those beautiful eyes. “Rory, I know this must seem incredible to you. You aren’t going crazy....”

  Rory’s face darkened after that. His brow creased and a curl sculpted his lips into a frown. “How did you know that? I only thought that. This is impossible!”

  Callum gestured for Rory to sit down on his bed, and Rory did, reluctantly. Rory’s breathing was strained. His pulse was quick. His thoughts were jumbled and confused. Even so, Callum tried to explain everything.

  He started talking about God, and that He did, in fact, exist, as did angels. Angels such as Callum were called Guardians. Their mission was to help God maintain his desired timeline. “We are given a mission. It usually involves protecting someone from something specific. We do it indirectly, to maintain the covenant. Humans have the right to free will.”

  With a sigh, Callum went on to say that Guardians were usually restricted in what they could say or do, and they became instantly connected with their charges. Rory’s eyebrows lifted at that. Callum smiled. “Yes, Rory, I can read your thoughts. Usually, it is only surface thoughts... but with you, it’s different. You are special, Rory—in so many ways.”

  Callum read Rory’s thoughts in response to this, but out of respect, he allowed Rory to verbalize them. “I’m not special. I’m a sinner. I’m gay, Callum. According to some, in the eyes of God, I’m going straight to hell.”

  Callum waited as Rory formulated a hypothesis. It was wrong, but Callum let Rory voice it anyway. “Are you here to stop me from trying to go after Steve? You don’t have to worry. I know there’s nothing there.”

  Callum sighed. He managed to resist his impulse to reach out to touch Rory’s face, but he couldn’t stop himself from putting a hand on Rory’s knee. Callum disregarded Rory’s almost imperceptible flinch. “Rory, you don’t understand. I’m here to protect you. I’m not here to protect someone from you.”

  Before Rory could convey his next question, Callum smiled. “Rory, God loves everyone and has a plan for everyone. That includes you. There are some who are trying to thwart His plan, and that is where creatures like me come in. However, I think you need to know that some of the things some humans still believe... well they are outdated, irrelevant, and some were misinterpreted, a long time ago. Even with Divine inspiration, the people who wrote those Books were still human, and therefore made mistakes. Even angels make mistakes in carrying out His plan. No one is infallible... except Him.”

  Rory became suddenly agitated. The vehemence of Rory’s thought shocked Callum so much he didn’t wait for Rory to verbalize it. “Rory... you are wrong. A Guardian is linked to his charge, that’s true. However, our connection is much more than that. I can’t explain it. I have never felt this way toward anyone before—ever. This is very new to me, but I feel a deep bond with you. With your permission, I would like to show you how deep it is.”

  Again, Callum was surprised at Rory’s thoughts. “No, Rory, I do not want to take advantage of you. The connection goes deeper than that, although in this form, I do sense what you mean.”

  Callum had been in human form before. When a Guardian did this, he or she was human in all respects, at least in physical appearance. As far as feeling like one, Callum had never thought about it. He hadn’t had to transform for very long. He had heard stories from other angels, who had to sustain their form for long periods, that humans did indeed feel things differently and much more acutely than Guardians.

  As Callum thought about it, and as he thought about Rory, he noticed that Rory did indeed elicit a physical attraction from him. It was quite strange. Callum’s pulse quickened. His stomach was in knots—a peculiar sensation indeed. Although, the most bizarre feeling of all was the pressure in his groin. He’d never felt anything like that before.

  Looking at Rory, Callum now realized why he was so apprehensive. Rory was attracted to Callum in a way that stunned Callum immensely. Rory was projecting his feelings onto Callum. Callum could actually feel himself blush. That also was a first. “Rory, I have no intentions of molesting you in any way. I am going to take your hand. I have a feeling you will be able to sense my intentions better after you do that. Please?”

  Rory hesitated briefly, but presented his hand to Callum, who took it firmly. Almost immediately, Rory inhaled deeply. Tears filled his eyes. His skin was flushed. “Oh, Callum, you are so beautiful. I thought you were physically beautiful, but inside, your energy, your mind, your soul, it’s amazing.”

  Callum smiled. “Not nearly as amazing as yours, Rory.”

  Rory smiled at Callum and breathed in once more. Callum could feel Rory travel through his thoughts, digging. A frown, a frustrated eye twitch, were the only signs that Rory was hitting barriers to some questions. Callum was used to these barriers, so much so, he no longer questioned when he didn’t know something—even though he could remember knowing that specific information before. God’s plan was complicated.

  Rory looked deep into Callum’s eyes. “You were supposed to prevent me from going to Steve’s frat party tonight, but you don’t know why.”

  He had said it as a statement, not a question, so Callum only nodded. Rory shrugged his shoulders. “I have to, Callum. I promised Steve I would. I know he’s manipulating me into something. I’ve been around him enough to know that. He may think I don’t know, but I do. I just can’t not go.”

  Callum nodded once more. Rory immediately turned his head, a shocked look painting his face as he noticed the time on the digital clock on his desk. “Callum, Steve is going to come back, probably early, and I need to get ready. Do you? You’re still coming, aren’t you?’

  Callum smiled. “I’m not leaving your side, Rory. And, yes, I need to change. I will be right back.”

  Callum vanished into In-Between. He concentrated, and the clothes he was wearing changed. He knew what he was now wearing would not only flatter him, but that Rory would find it very appealing, and that pleased Callum immensely.

  He then spent a few moments watching Rory change. Rory was much more muscular than he let on. He was thin but very toned, especially in the abdominal area. Rory had great abs. Even in this plane, Callum felt an attraction, although he no longer felt the pressure in his groin. He found he missed it.

  When Callum flicked back into the earthly plane, he startled Rory. “Oh my God! Callum! Don’t do that!”

  Then Rory cocked his head and smirked. “How did you change so quickly? Where did you go? You look amazing by the way. The chocolate suede shirt suits you.”

  Callum smiled. “We call it In-Between. It is a dimensional barrier between what you would call heaven and this earthly plane. Material energy works differently there. I merely have to think and my appearance changes. That is
also how I procured the pamphlets for the club.”

  Callum was actually stunned that he was able to communicate these ideas to Rory. He wasn’t shocked that Rory would understand them. He was more surprised that Rory could know them at all. Normally, Guardians were forbidden to discuss these things. Something very strange was happening.

  Before Callum could say anything, there was a brusque knock on the door. Steve’s voice echoed from the other side. “Come on, Rory. Open up. I want to check that you’re dressed appropriately... and then we should go. We can’t wait for that Cal guy to show up. We need to go.”

  Rory looked at Callum and whispered, “Go!”

  Callum was set to discuss why he should stay, but Rory did not give him any time. He whispered aggressively, “Callum, please go, now!”

  While Rory’s eyes widened from the suddenness of it all, Callum disappeared into In-Between.

  Chapter Four

  WHEN RORY walked to the door to let Steve into the room, Callum tried to flick back to the earthly plane, but found he couldn’t. For a second he was frustrated. How could he protect Rory if he couldn’t get to him? Then he remembered who and what he was and rolled his eyes at himself. He was a Guardian. He could manipulate things from In-Between if he had to.

  Callum shook his head. He wondered why he unexpectedly forgot himself. Perhaps he was getting too close to Rory. Maybe he needed this time to distance himself. Rory was his charge, someone he was assigned to protect. He couldn’t be anything more. A Guardian had no life other than protecting charges—always temporarily. That is how the system worked. That is how God wanted things. Callum sighed and concentrated on Rory, who was still flustered. His thoughts remained on Callum, full of regret and very apologetic.

  Rory opened the door grudgingly. Actually, he only unlocked the latch. Steve proceeded to barge his way in and grab Rory by the elbow. “What is taking you so long? Is that Cal guy here? Were you two getting it on?”