by Laurèn Lee
“Adriel, why don’t you and Charlotte catch up first? We can talk later.”
Charlotte looked at the angel and wondered if she’d read her mind. Could angels do that? Adriel nodded and pulled Charlotte into his arms.
Finally, she thought.
“I missed you,” Adriel whispered into Charlotte’s ear. His touch and soft voice sent chills down Charlotte’s spine. She didn’t realize just how much she missed him until now.
“I missed you more.”
“You love birds can use the loft if you want to talk,” Cyndy offered.
Charlotte smiled at the bartender. While rough around the edges, Cyndy had grown on her. Since they met, she’d morphed into the big sister Charlotte never knew she needed.
“Thanks, Cyndy,” Adriel said with a grin.
“And, I mean just to talk. All right, Addy?” She threw a knowing look toward the couple.
Charlotte shrugged innocently; Adriel nodded wickedly, and Cyndy scowled as per usual.
Adriel and Charlotte darted up the stairs to Cyndy’s loft. For the first time in days, Adriel felt a spring in his step. A little bit of the luster he’d lost crept back into his spirit.
They stood at the top of the landing and peered into each other’s eyes. Adriel cupped Charlotte’s supple cheeks with his rough, but clean hands. He massaged her face with this thumbs, and he couldn’t help but smile. Yes, Adriel, the former demon, couldn’t stop smiling.
“How are you? Are you okay? Has he hurt you?”
Charlotte closed her eyes for a moment and soaked in Adriel’s touch. “It’s been awful without you. He’s so evil, Adriel. What are we going to do?”
Adriel pulled her in closer and wrapped his arms around her petite, firm body. “I don’t know.”
“I don’t know why he let me go today, but I have a feeling it’s part of his plan.”
“He didn’t come after you?”
“Nope.”
“Fuck,” Adriel whispered. “I’m sure he knows you’re here.”
“Probably.” Charlotte nuzzled deeper into Adriel’s neck. Despite losing his demonhood, he smelled the same. He smelled like home. “How have you been?”
“Do you want to know?”
Charlotte pulled away and stroked Adriel’s cheek this time. “Yes, I do.”
“I’ve been miserable without you.” He hung his head.
“You have?”
“I feel like I lost more than my demonhood. I feel like I’ve lost you, too.”
“Adriel, you could never lose me. No one can break our bond. Not even Liam.”
“He’ll never let us be together, Char.”
“Screw him. He can’t control me.”
Adriel sighed. “He can, though. He can control us both. He could kill us both without even breaking a sweat if he wanted to.”
“We can’t let that happen, then.”
“He’s going to come for you; you know that, right?”
“I’m sure he will, but for now, can we please enjoy each other’s company?” Charlotte winked and brought her lips to Adriel’s.
Their kiss, innocent at first, turned passionate and desperate quickly. Charlotte wrapped her arms around Adriel, and she felt him grow against her. The desire, the need, exploded within her as she pushed him onto the bed. She climbed atop his body, pinning him beneath her. Adriel, his hair and eyes wild, struggled to take a breath as Charlotte leaned in to kiss him again. They ground against each other, fighting to stifle their moans.
“I’ve missed you so much,” Adriel said, then gulped a breath of air.
“Me, too,” Charlotte sighed. “I don’t want to go back to him. I want to be with you.”
Adriel, still without his super strength, managed to flip Charlotte onto her back so now he hovered over her instead. He removed his tee shirt and revealed his rock-solid abs. At least some things didn’t change.
Just as Adriel peeled Charlotte’s top off, a call sounded from downstairs. “How’s it going up there?” Cyndy shouted.
Adriel groaned with annoyance. “Fine, thank you!”
Charlotte giggled and nibbled on Adriel’s neck to which he growled deeply. “I’m not done with you.”
“I sure hope not.” She kissed Adriel on his lips once more before she pulled her shirt back down over her breasts.
“Come on. Let’s go back downstairs,” Adriel suggested.
“Do we have to?” Charlotte whined.
“Unfortunately. Otherwise, I think someone may come up here to check on us.”
Charlotte followed Adriel down the stairs and saw Cyndy and Mary Elizabeth huddled at the bar whispering. When they saw the couple approach, both women, well, one woman and an angel, stopped conversing abruptly.
“Finally,” Cyndy said with a curved smile. “We were starting to think something happened to you two up there.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Adriel replied dismissively. “Hey, I have to run an errand. Can you ladies watch over Charlotte?”
Charlotte shot a look toward Adriel. “Where are you going? And what makes you think I need a babysitter?”
“Well, maybe because your psycho demon fiancé is on the loose?”
“Yeah, okay. You may be right,” Charlotte conceded.
“Where do you think you’re going, Addy?” Cyndy asked.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be back soon.”
Adriel left the bar, the heavy door slamming behind him. Charlotte stared at Cyndy and Mary Elizabeth with a defeated expression. “Well, now what?”
18
The three woman stared at each other awkwardly while burly patrons chugged down their icy cold beers and continued to play darts and rough house.
“So—” Charlotte began, interrupting the pregnant silence. “You’re an angel?”
Mary Elizabeth grinned broadly, exposing her perfectly white smile. “Yes, I am.”
“Heaven is real?” Charlotte whispered.
“As real as you and I sitting here and speaking together.”
“What’s it like?” Cyndy asked cautiously.
“Heaven? It’s a magnificent place,” Mary Elizabeth answered as she gazed off into the distance.
“What do you do up there? Ride on clouds and play the harp?” Charlotte asked. Cyndy nudged her in the ribs, and Charlotte rubbed her core soothingly. “That hurt!”
Mary Elizabeth chuckled. “Well, there are those who play the harp, but it’s not all like that.”
Charlotte and Cyndy stared at Mary Elizabeth, their curiosity piqued. “What else?” Charlotte asked.
“You want to know?”
The women nodded emphatically with silly grins plastered across their faces.
“Okay, I’ll show you,” Mary Elizabeth offered.
“Show us?” Cyndy and Charlotte chirped back in unison.
Mary Elizabeth took their hands and gently closed her eyes. She emanated an ethereal glow as she concentrated solely on her thoughts.
“Ready?” she asked with her eyes still closed.
Charlotte and Cyndy shrugged but closed their eyes too. A whirl of light jolted them sideways, but the three women remained connected. Charlotte pressed her eyelids tightly shut as she attempted to catch her breath. Cyndy’s hand grasped hers tightly as though she were in labor. They were traveling through time or space.
After what felt like an eternity inside some galactic wormhole, the women landed roughly on their feet. Charlotte swayed as she tried to balance, and Cyndy nearly fell over.
“Welcome to Heaven,” Mary Elizabeth sang.
Cyndy slowly opened her eyes. Charlotte peeked through one eye and kept the other shut. The two gasped as their jaws dropped. They stood before a tall golden gate, surrounded by fluffy white clouds floating about almost as though they danced in the breeze. Charlotte looked down but couldn’t see the ground or Earth. Even though she wasn’t afraid of heights, her stomach dropped as beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
“This is heaven?” Charlotte asked incre
dulously.
“Well, sort of,” Mary Elizabeth said. “It’s a memory of mine from when I first entered the gates.”
“I thought the gates were supposed to be made of pearl?” Cyndy asked.
“You can’t believe everything you hear.” Mary Elizabeth winked.
Mary Elizabeth tapped on the gate’s handle with her pointer finger, which appeared perfectly manicured. The gate creaked open, and Mary Elizabeth stepped forward first.
“Well, are you two coming or not?”
Charlotte gulped, and Cyndy nodded her head. They stepped past the gate and into heaven. The gate closed behind them with an equally piercing squeal as when it opened. All around them, beautiful people milled about. Everyone donned white clothing with gold jewelry. The women wore perfect hairstyles and seemed far too put together. Almost like they were Photoshopped into the scene. The men wore white robes or suits, and nearly all sported golden footwear.
Charlotte gasped as a young Elvis scooted past her. He carried a white, pearl guitar and sang to himself. Then, Abraham Lincoln approached the women with a slight smile on his face and an ivory top hat resting upon his head.
“Hello, ladies.” He bowed and tipped his hat. “Such a lovely day!”
Honest Abe excused himself and strode over to Thomas Jefferson and George Washington.
All around the women, all-white peacocks and albino tigers loitered. Doves flew, weaving in and out of the illuminated clouds. Skyscrapers covered the East skyline, too, except they floated and appeared to have been made from cotton. Charlotte and Cyndy felt much lighter here, almost weightless. Charlotte realized the darkness within her seemed to lift as well. All the angst and frustration she felt on Earth melted away here.
“This is insane,” Cyndy whispered.
Charlotte nodded in agreement. “This is like a dream.”
“Well, it is,” Mary Elizabeth reminded her.
“Is everyone always this happy up here?” Cyndy asked. She twirled around, studying those walking about in bliss.
“Pretty much!” Mary Elizabeth responded. She seemed comfortably at home.
“Wow.”
“Are all these people angels, Mary Elizabeth?” Charlotte asked. Her eyes grew to the size of tennis balls.
“Some, but not all. You can tell the angels apart because we have a more golden glow. See? Look at that man over there,” she instructed.
“You mean Gandhi?” Charlotte asked, exasperated.
“Yes, he’s a swell fellow, but notice how he sort of sparkles?” Mary Elizabeth pointed discreetly.
“Like Edward?” Charlotte snickered.
“No, his name is Gandhi, remember?” Mary Elizabeth look confused.
“Never mind,” Charlotte sighed. “But, yes I can see it now.”
“And, who’s, like, in charge here?” Cyndy asked, looking for an almighty being hiding behind a curtain somewhere.
“Seriously?” Mary Elizabeth countered.
“Yeah, who do you take orders from?”
“Well, uh, God,” Mary Elizabeth said, perplexed.
“God is real, too?” Charlotte gulped.
“Of course he is, silly. Who did you think ran the show up here?”
“I guess I never really thought about it,” Charlotte responded with a shrug.
“What’s wrong, Charlotte?”
“If Heaven is real, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to come here when I die.” Charlotte hung her head and bit her lip.
“What makes you say that?” Mary Elizabeth inquired.
“I’ve made mistakes. I’ve sinned,” Charlotte whispered, picturing the men she killed vividly in her mind.
Mary Elizabeth smiled knowingly. “Don’t worry about those men, Charlotte. They were evil.”
“They were pretty bad, huh?”
Mary Elizabeth nodded.
“So, what do y’all do around here, anyway?” Cyndy asked.
“Lots of things!” Mary Elizabeth chirped. “We sing, dance and have large feasts to celebrate the Grace of God!”
Cyndy and Charlotte looked to each other and grimaced. “Maybe we’ll both end up in Hell.”
“Oh, don’t say that!” Mary Elizabeth said. “I can help guide you if need be.”
“How are you so perfect?” Charlotte grumbled.
“Years of practice.” Mary Elizabeth winked.
As Charlotte opened her mouth to speak, Mary Elizabeth put her hand up and clenched her forehead with the other.
“What is it?” Cyndy asked.
“Something’s wrong. We’ve got to go.”
With the ominous warning, Charlotte and Cyndy grasped Mary Elizabeth’s hands, closed their eyes and prepared to beam back to planet Earth.
19
Mary Elizabeth, Charlotte, and Cyndy returned to The Hairy Dog as though no time had passed. The bikers chugging their beer flinched when the women landed abruptly in the same spot where they initially disappeared.
Again Charlotte attempted to steady herself; balance wasn’t her strong suit. Cyndy, equally as shaken, whipped her head around in search of any commotion or danger lurking in the shadows of the run-down pub.
Mary Elizabeth scanned the bar carefully with her angelic eyes. “Something bad is going to happen here,” she murmured.
“What is it?” Charlotte asked anxiously.
The bar’s door flew open, and Adriel stood in its entryway with sopping wet hair and a frightened expression. Charlotte still hadn’t grown accustomed to seeing her once badass demon lover appear so terrified.
“He’s coming!” he gasped and slammed the door behind him, which rattled the cheap neon bar signs that hung on the walls.
“Who’s coming?” Cyndy asked.
Before Adriel replied, Charlotte already knew the answer in her heart: Liam was coming.
Mary Elizabeth and Cyndy looked to Charlotte as she stood against the bar with a look of fright plastered across her face.
“I need to leave right now,” Charlotte urged.
“What? Why?” Cyndy asked.
“I don’t want to put any of you in danger. He wants me.”
Thunder and lightning erupted outside The Hairy Dog, and the bar shook as though an earthquake approached the earth’s surface.
The burly men gazed around with curiosity and suspicion. The walls shook, and a few framed photographs fell from their hooks, shattering across the shabby wooden floor.
Adriel swooped over to Charlotte and protectively stood in front of her. “I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you, Charlotte.”
“You can’t promise that. He won’t let anyone get in the way of what he wants.”
A quiet knock rapped on the front door, and a moment later, it was ripped from its hinges and fell to the floor. Liam stood in the entrance, tall and determined. Cyndy gasped and moved back against the bar as well. Only Mary Elizabeth refused to cower before the demon in the doorway.
“‘Ello,” Liam chirped and stepped across the threshold. “What do we have here, huh? An angel, a has-been demon, a hag for a bartender and my darling fiancée.”
A few bikers slammed their beers down and stood from their tables. “Who the fuck are you?” one called out.
Liam cackled and raised a hand; the men flew harshly against the wall, sliding down, unconscious. Once the others witnessed Liam’s undeniable raw power, they backed down too.
“It’s time to go, Charlotte,” Liam demanded.
“She’s not leaving with you,” Adriel said gruffly.
Liam smiled. “And what are you going to do about it?”
Charlotte felt Adriel’s body quiver against her. She knew Adriel was no match for Liam, and she hoped Adriel knew that too.
“Just let her be, Liam! She doesn’t want to be with you,” Adriel said.
“Charlotte, come,” Liam demanded sternly.
Charlotte took a step forward, gently pushing Adriel aside. “I have to go,” she whispered in his ear.
Liam tapped his foot on
the floor and crossed his arms. “My patience is wearing thin. Come, Charlotte, or I will take you by force.”
“You can’t go with him,” Adriel whispered back. “He’ll hurt you.” Adriel looked at Charlotte pleadingly.
“I’m done with this charade,” Liam said airily. He raised his hand, and Cyndy gasped before Liam flung her body against the wall like a rag doll.
“No!” Charlotte cried. “Liam, stop! I’ll come with you. Please don’t hurt anyone else!”
“Too late for that.”
“Liam, stop this,” Mary Elizabeth commanded.
Liam snickered. “What’s an angel going to do about it?”
“This will not bode well for you if you take her.”
“Try me.”
Mary Elizabeth and Liam stared intently into each other’s eyes, but neither made a move. Charlotte wondered if Mary Elizabeth could take on Liam, or if she tried, would Liam destroy her? Could an angel be killed?
Adriel stepped forward and rolled up his sleeves. “Let’s do this. Man to man.”
“I am not a man, Adriel. I will kill you.”
“What? Afraid of a little hand-to-hand combat?”
A thin smile drew across Liam’s face, and he stepped toward Adriel. He tossed off his leather coat and tilted his head side to side, cracking his neck with ease.
“You will regret this, human,” Liam warned.
“Probably,” Adriel replied quietly.
“This is ridiculous! Stop it!” Charlotte shrieked. “You don’t need to defend my honor, or whatever. Liam, I said I’ll come with you willingly. You don’t need to hurt anyone else.”
Cyndy moaned against the wall as a steady flow of blood oozed from her head. Mary Elizabeth rushed to her side to help stop the bleeding. She knelt at Cyndy’s side, her all-white dress now speckled with crimson droplets. Charlotte, left alone against the bar, clenched her fists in terror, exhaustion, and anxiety.
“Too late. I can’t step down from a challenge,” Liam said.
Charlotte’s demonic former lover and current demon fiancé stood less than a foot away from each other. The entire bar was blanketed with silence, and Charlotte could only imagine what sort of thoughts raced through the other patrons’ minds. She wasn’t a newbie when it came to the residents of the Underworld, but they must have no idea what was happening! She couldn’t focus on the others now, though. She was afraid Adriel had just signed his death sentence by challenging Liam. Stubborn as a demon and still stubborn as a human. Charlotte shook her head.
