Fire and Fantasy: a Limited Edition Collection of Epic and Urban Fantasy

by CK Dawn

  “Well, this should be perfectly awkward,” she muttered. Working out the kinks, she stretched, not in a hurry to face the trip back.

  Rising from the makeshift bed, the cold air hit her in force, making her tremble. Pulling on her sweater and pants, she wrapped her arms around her waist. After the initial chill wore off, she picked up her jacket and shook it out before donning it on as well. Warmer and less uncomfortable with her clothes on, she walked to the lake and splashed some water on her face. It dripped down her cheeks in freezing droplets, but felt good nonetheless. The magic of last night had vanished. Reality, as cold as the water, settled in.

  “We have to get back on the road as soon as possible,” Gabe said. His voice sounded rough in the hush of the clearing.

  Cassie nodded.

  It seemed like the trek to the car took longer than the hike down the previous evening. She kept slipping on loose rocks. As before, he was oblivious to her plight, walking fast and with purpose. He paid her no attention, not even to offer support over the more treacherous terrain.

  “Ass,” she cursed him more than once. After the heat and passion of last night, it was hard to believe this was the same man. Can’t forget who he is…what he is. The quiet declaration fueled her into action. She tightened her jaw, kept her footing firm, and by sheer force of will refused to fall anymore.

  By the time they reached the parking lot, lunchtime tourists packed it, scurrying around. They didn’t stay long, just enough time to use the bathroom and meet up by the car. Back on the road, Cassie thought she’d be able to relax and nap, but her stomach had other ideas.

  “We need to stop and eat something,” she said from the passenger seat, slapping her hand on the glove compartment for emphasis. “I’m starving.”

  He didn’t look at her. His gaze was fixed on the road ahead, his profile hard in the sun’s rays. “Food isn’t important right now.”

  “Maybe not to you, but it is to me. I’m not adding hunger to my growing list of annoyances.” She tapped her finger against the window.

  “Then have one of those energy bars you brought,” he said flatly, still looking straight ahead.

  Cassie considered punching him. With my luck, he’d be just distracted enough to turn the wheel and land us in a ditch. The tension level reached its zenith inside the little sports car. She huffed, pulling out a chocolate protein bar from her bag. She nibbled it. He didn’t ask for one and she didn’t offer. It tasted terrible. The chocolate bits packed with who knows what.

  “Enough silence. What’s the next step?” Cassie said when she finished choking down the poor excuse for food and gulping down half the water bottle.

  “We’re going to Las Vegas to gather more information.”

  “What’s in Vegas? Why there?”

  “It’s a well known center of fallen and demonic activity.” He rolled his shoulders while keeping his grip firm on the wheel. “I also need to find Albert. He might know more by now.”

  “I’ve never been to Vegas.” Under her breath she added, “What a way to visit Sin City.”

  “This might prove dangerous, but we have no other choice. And I’d rather have you with me so I can protect you,” Gabe said, ignoring her last comment.

  Cassie leaned back in the seat and let her thoughts wander. Despite her frustration with Gabe, she couldn’t help but imagine their intimate exchange from the night before. It brought a stinging heat to her cheeks and a fire to her blood. The feeling faded, however, as the image changed. She pictured Gabe kissing Ariel, holding her in his arms, making love to her with abandon. She winced. Any thoughts of the cold angel would make her cringe, but thinking about her with Gabe turned her downright vicious.

  “One night,” she chided herself. “And already you’re acting like a love sick kid.”

  “What was that?”

  His question broke her daydream. She considered asking him about his relationship with Ariel, but shook off the thought. She decided she didn’t want to know the answer. “Nothing.”

  They drove almost nonstop, making a couple of pit stops throughout the day and grabbing some real food. Although, Gabe refused any of the food she offered.

  “A waste of time,” he’d said.

  Cassie grumbled none too happy to be eating in the car again, but figured it was better than choking down another energy bar. Just as she’d finished her meal and began to drift off to sleep, a sharp ringing echoed in her mind. The noise was too high, as if mortal ears shouldn’t hear its pitch. She clapped her hands to her head in an attempt to block out the sound.

  “What is it?” Gabe said, his hand reaching to her shoulder and shaking it. “What’s wrong?”

  “Pull over,” she cried, unsure of what to do. “Pull over.”

  As Gabe steered the car onto the shoulder, the internal chimes became louder. She concentrated on blocking the clamor. Pushing against it with her will worked just enough to keep her from passing out. A melodious voice came forth beyond the horrible ringing.

  “Is it a demon?” The car idled. Gabe’s hands sparked a soft electric blue as he reached for her.

  She pushed his hands away, focusing on the voice. “No. It’s something else. Wait.”

  A woman’s high soprano whispered in her mind, “Cassiel. My poor Cassiel. Guard yourself. Danger is coming.”

  Before Cassie could respond, the woman’s soft tones faded as if they’d never been. She tried to trace the notes as they disappeared from her mind, but couldn’t hold them anymore than air. They floated away.

  “What happened? Are you all right?” Gabe leaned closer, his hands reaching for her once more.

  Cassie let him hold her this time. The incident shook her to the core. Never before had she heard a voice so soft and pure. When demons manipulated her powers, they caused her agonizing pain. As if the very essence of her mind would rip apart under their weight. This. This was so...different. She couldn’t find the words.

  Gabe shook her and asked again.

  “A voice,” she said. “A gentle voice.” Sorting through the memory, she turned to face him. “A woman. She told me danger was coming.”

  Gabe nodded without comment and released her from his embrace. Shifting the car back into drive, he changed into the same stoic creature he’d been before. “Best try to get some rest,” he said without feeling. “Don’t worry about this voice. It’s harmless.”

  The change in him reignited some of her previous anger. She huffed and shouted a quick, “Fine.” Turning away from him, she curled into a ball on the passenger seat. The events of the last few days put her mind on overload. She’d take any chance she could to rest. Pushing all of it from her mind came easier than she anticipated. Her body slumped down further in the seat, exhausted beyond belief.

  At some point she fell asleep. Gratefully, the nap stayed dreamless. When she opened her eyes again, she stretched her arms high over her head. Staring out the window, she found the sky painted with deep sunset colors of red, yellow and purples.

  “We’re not far now.” Gabe glanced in her direction.

  Cassie looked into the distance and saw city lights peeking out from between the mountaintops. She sat up straighter as a quiver of excitement rippled through her.

  “We’re going to check into a hotel,” Gabe told her. “I want you to stay there and rest while I go talk to some people.”

  “Like hell I’ll stay at the hotel!” Calm flowed out of her like a bullet. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew he was right. It’d be better for her to hide. She didn’t give a damn. They were in this crazy mess together. “Hell if you’re leaving me behind.”

  Gabe’s tone turned to steel. “Cassie, I can’t protect you if you don’t listen to me. This isn’t the time to argue over such things.” He shot her a warning look. “Half the population of the city would love to get their hands on you.”

  Cassie chose not to answer. He didn’t say another word, and she was glad to remain quiet this time. Her irritation with him rose unbi
dden and she wondered at it. Gabe produced so many contradicting emotions in her and made the whole situation even more confusing. So far he’d proven he could be trusted.

  Even with my life.

  The nagging did not subside with the revelation. If she were honest with herself, she’d admit she didn’t trust him entirely. No matter what he’d done, he was still a strange being to her, someone who fell into her world and into her life. He had his own goals and intentions.

  And what about the reason for his fall? Cassie stared at the sun falling behind the distant mountains. What did he do that was so bad he’d be cast out of his world, cut off from his source? Too many questions remained unanswered. Yet, he was willing to protect her even when he could gain his redemption faster by destroying her. Has to count for something. She took a deep breath as night descended.

  By the time they entered Vegas, Cassie’s head swam. She had to get away for a while, to think on her own. But being alone in a hotel room just didn’t seem like a good option. She chose not to mention that to Gabe.

  Inside the city limits, Gabe drove like he’d been to Vegas numerous times, though Cassie suspected that was impossible. They never hit the strip but instead veered toward a string of small motels behind it. She could see the bright lights of the strip illuminating the evening sky, whereas these backstreets flooded the area with darkness. The occasional neon light would announce a No Tell motel, a grimy casino, or a seedy strip club.

  Gabe drove much slower now, obviously trying to choose the right place. At last, he turned into the tiny parking lot of an ominous looking building. It sat two stories high. Most of the windows were black behind crass green curtains. A midnight blue sign, half-lit by the light from the street lamp, pronounced the motel’s name as “Desert Breeze”. Cassie tried to hide her distaste by covering her face with her hands and faking a sneeze, which Gabe ignored.

  They entered the cramped lobby. It possessed one central desk and a couple of uninviting armchairs. A heavyset man in his mid-forties sat behind the desk. A thick hand covered his yawn as they approached. Stains spread across his shirt, appearing to be the same green hue as the motel rooms’ curtains.

  “Can I help you?” He sounded as bored as he looked.

  “We’d like a room, please,” Gabe said.

  “By hour or day?”

  Gabe’s gaze shot to her with a hint of amusement in them. “We’ll be staying for a couple of days,” he said, turning back to the man.

  “Cash or credit?”

  “Cash.” Gabe reached into the inside pocket of his coat and took out a wallet. Rifling through it, he placed four twenties on the counter.

  Cassie wondered, not for the first time, where a fallen angel would get money. He never seemed to have a shortage of it. Another question she put on her mental checklist of unanswered mysteries.

  “Room seven. Up the stairs and down the hall.”

  As soon as they entered the room with their bags, Gabe went through it, looking in all corners. He peered out the window, nodded to himself as if in approval to his own thought, and closed the curtains. Cassie watched him, crossing her arms over her chest and letting her weight sag to one foot.

  “I’m going now,” Gabe said, returning to the door, where she stood. “Lock the door behind me, and don’t let anyone in. Do you understand?” He waited for her to nod, before he continued, “Don’t open the curtains. Unpack and rest. I’ll be back when I’m done with business.”

  “Yes, master,” Cassie said and bowed in mock obedience.

  “Cassie, this isn’t a joke.” Gabe’s fists tightened at his sides.

  “You just don’t have a sense of humor,” Cassie muttered as she moved further inside the room and put her bag on the lone bed.

  Gabe looked at her for a long minute. “You can be a very irritating woman,” he said. And, as if an afterthought, “Keep your cell phone near.” He closed the door and disappeared.

  Cassie exhaled. She didn’t know if it was out of relief or something else. One thing was for certain, she did not intend to stay in this room. “If he needs me, he can call my cell.” Nodding at her approval of the plan, she rummaged through her suitcase. A shiny material at the bottom caught her eye. “Danger be damned. I want a distraction. Shit. I need a distraction.” Donning an outfit she would never have considered before her life turned upside down, she winked into the mirror. “And this is the city of ultimate distractions.”

  Half an hour after Gabe left, Cassie called for a cab.

  Fifteen

  A repugnant smell akin to cheap cigar smoke and raw sewage wafted through the Vegas back streets. Gabe tried to ignore it as he wandered through the night. Neon lights flickered and gleamed. Casino bells screeched a shrill chime. Hopeless bums begged for spare change. Working girls offered him a “good time”. Still Gabe trudged on as the sights assailed his senses from all directions.

  “What a paradise,” Gabe said, shaking his head.

  “Don’t knock it, ‘til you’ve tried it awhile,” answered a man in a nasal voice. The stranger stepped from the darkness into the harsh orange glow of a door’s overhanging light. He leaned against a building’s cement wall, crossing his arms and smiling at Gabe.

  “I’ve no desire to try it at all,” Gabe said as he examined the stranger. Two muddy brown eyes stared from under a pair of stringy black bangs. The hair, slicked back in a ponytail, was thin, shoulder length, and oily. It couldn’t have been washed in several days. The rust colored leather jacket covered a gangly frame. Dark blue jeans hid long thin limbs. The whole picture spoke of awkwardness and deceit. Gabe’s disdain brought forth an unbidden whisper, “Who are you?”

  A high-pitched squeal echoed along the street. “I’m not surprised you don’t recognize me.” The stranger stepped nose to nose with Gabe in one smooth motion. “But I know you.”

  Gabe angled his head and stood still, disoriented by the sudden movement. He recovered, however, as he stared in disbelief. Why didn’t I see it sooner? The stranger was one of the fallen. Recognition crossed Gabe’s mind. “You can’t be...”

  “No, of course not. That name is long gone,” the stranger interrupted. “They call me Snarky now. A great name, no?” Another strangled laugh erupted. “I work for Rafe.” After a pause he added, “He’s tickled pink you’ve arrived.”

  “I’ll bet.” Gabe couldn’t stifle his lips from curling over his teeth.

  “More than you know.” Snarky sighed. “I bet him. An actual bet, mind you, that you would never end up here.” A wiry finger pointed in Gabe’s direction. “Bah. Guess I should’ve known better. Don’t we all end up here sooner or later?”

  “No.” Gabe looked toward the blackened sky. “Not all of us.”

  “Oh, really? Time will see which one of us is right.” Snarky turned to walk down a narrow alley, but whipped his head back. “Wanna make a bet?”

  “No,” Gabe commanded. “Just take me to Rafe.”

  A gruff “humph” preceded Snarky’s reply. “Fine. But, personally, I think it’s a fair bet.” A hideous cackle. “If there is such a thing as a fair bet.” He turned once more and continued down the side street as he struggled to get his hysterics under control.

  Gabe had no desire to pursue further conversation and trailed him a few steps behind. What’s happened to him? The thought plagued him as he peered through the darkness. Is this the result of a life here? Snarky’s hunched back gave him no answer. But then, Albert. He seems...adjusted. Not the same, but not this. He looked around to underline his thought. No point thinking about it. I won’t be here long enough to have that problem. He turned his mind resolute to his task. He had enough to figure out without pondering his own fate just now.

  As they walked further through the Vegas underground, all of the buildings took on similar design of gray one-story boxes. No tourists would ever see this part of the city unless they were looking for real trouble. Not the fun and games--let’s make bets, get married in an Elvis chapel, spill drinks on a hal
f dressed woman--kind of trouble. No, not that. This area spelt supernatural--soul stealing, universe bending, demon possessing, kill or be killed, kind of trouble. Not exactly part of a tour package.

  Snarky stopped dead at the front entrance of an unmarked structure. It was undistinguishable from the rest of the buildings in the area. As he wrapped on the metal door, a series of timed knocks followed. A brief pause, then the door creaked open. Stepping inside led to another metal door, this one made of steel.

  “Welcome,” stated a monotone computerized voice. “State designation.”

  “Snarky. And this here’s Gabe. We’re expected.”

  Seconds passed before the voice responded, “Proceed.”

  The interior door slid into the adjoining wall. The fallen pair entered single file. Down a short narrow corridor and through yet another metal door on the left led into an ultra modern office. The walls were cold, sterile, warmed only by oddly familiar scenes from 1950s black and white photos. A row of iridescent cylindrical lights created a path to the front of a massive glass desk. A set of expensive looking Italian leather shoes lay atop the desk’s center but the occupant of said shoes was bathed in shadow.

  “I’ll be damned,” said a husky voice from the darkness. “Oh wait, I already am.”

  Snarky’s squealing laughter preceded a quick applause. “Nice one boss,” he said over his shoulder as he crept out of the room.

  The swanky shoes whirled off the desk and smacked the hard ivory tiled floor with a thud. A tanned face with high cheekbones, sleek aristocratic nose, and full lips leaned into the light. Jet-black hair, mixed with deep brown highlights, flowed to frame the proud jaw line. The eyes, a cool tawny hue, spoke of assured confidence.

  “Ah. To see you here,” said the fallen behind the desk. “It just gives me a warm feeling of...” He snapped his fingers. “…satisfaction.”

  Gabe narrowed his eyes, but refused to be baited by the boss of Vegas’ fallen, no matter what insights he could learn. Several decades ago, he’d known Rafe when they were both still a part of the Light. Yet, friends wouldn’t have been the term for their complex relationship, in fact bitter rivals fit far more. Having to come to Rafe now for help ate at Gabe.