“Do you have any idea what this is going to cost us?” she persisted.
“Everyone has t’ take a side,” he agreed. “Everyone must choose, an’ there is always a price to be paid, either way. Taking Keeper’s side would have cost me you, an’ that’s something I wasn’t prepared t’ lose. Please,” he paused, searching her crystal blue orbs. “Please forgive me, Clarisse. I had to do this. I couldn’t face eternity without you.”
The Way We Were
Taking Charlie’s hand, Clarisse whisked them away from their secluded honeymoon suite. Standing in bright sunlight, he grimaced, aware that she was prepared to put up a fight over his choice. Sighing loudly, he waited for her to make her case, certain it was too late and he couldn’t change his mind, even if he wanted to.
A few minutes later, a couple came along on the path next to them, swinging a toddler between them. The little girl giggled loudly, holding her parents’ hands as she bounced along, putting her feet down for a few steps before she leapt again and they caught her in a slow swooping motion.
“Do you recognize them?” Clarisse asked quietly, unsure if his memory of their visit to that location had returned.
“No,” he clipped in an irritated tone.
“They were my clients. Last time we were here, their daughter was an infant; Father saved them from a Dark Angel,” she informed him quietly.
Recalling the dream that had revealed the scene to him, Charlie rocked his jaw side to side. “Look, I realize that you were emotionally invested in your clients. I’m not sayin’ you’re wrong. All I’m sayin’ is, you didn’ know the whole story.”
“But I helped them, Charlie. That’s enough for me. My life had a purpose. I protected them,” she sighed. “It was noble and just.”
“Ok,” he wobbled his head around, then agreed, “You did a great job of taking care of them; I’ll be the first t’ admit that. But you have t’ understand -”
She cut him off again, squeezing his hand and transporting them to a large fenced yard, filled with headstones. The sky pitch black above them, wind rustled in the trees, their leaves shading them from the light of the moon.
“Shit,” he murmured under his breath, and he knew he couldn’t win. He couldn’t fight a hundred years of indoctrination; she had too much invested in the other side to ever see reason. “I’m sorry, baby,” he whispered. “So who’s this?”
“Another of my clients,” she indicated the grave before them. “The Dark Angels took him; Gous took him.”
“The beggar,” Charlie breathed.
Her face jerking to stare at him, she accused, “You do remember!”
“I have dreams,” he confessed. “I remember things. I’m not sure how much, but yeah; I remember this guy.” He met her gaze, shame on his face. “This doesn’t change anything,” he sighed. “Don’t you get it? We have to figure this out. All of this,” he swung his hands out, dropping her digits and stepping back to indicate their surroundings. “All of this is staged. It’s fake. Neither side is going to win because both sides are using us. Destiny and Fate; they’re not fighting over us.”
“Yes, they are,” Clarisse stamped her foot in disgust.
“No, baby; they’re not,” he inched towards her, framing her face in his palms. “Keeper wants balance. The twins work for him, an’ that’s all there will ever be. Both sides suffering in their sick game.”
“And what do you suggest we do about it? You want to take this Karma’s side? To follow her? What makes her so great?” Clarisse demanded, wiping at an escaped tear.
“I told you, I’m not sure how or why, but Karma’s working against Keeper. She wants t’ stop the twins. She helped put all o’ this in motion, but something happened,” he dropped his hands to his sides, releasing her. “She wants to put an end to what they created.”
“She told you that? She said she wants to destroy it all?”
“No, not in so many words,” he confessed, feeling chilled in the evening air. “Let’s go back to our beach,” he implored.
“No,” she shook her head in disgust. “I have a few more things to show you.”
“No,” he almost screamed feeling the anger rising inside him. “I don’t need to see any more. I know how it was; I know who and what you were. But those days an’ that life are gone.” His eyes glowed with a soft green hue. “I’m not a Dark Angel, and I would never hurt you. But I cannot allow you to interfere, either.”
Staring at him, her heart raced. “Charlie, what’s happened to you?”
“I told you. I’m a Forgotten Angel; minion of Karma. I ensure that people get what they deserve. Exactly what they deserve,” he changed his wardrobe and covered himself with a dark jacket. “I have powers, Clarisse. Better and greater than you can imagine.”
“Oh, Charlie,” she breathed, fear twisting her gut.
“I don’t wanna force you. Please, don’t make me…”
Sucking in a ragged breath, tears streaked down her cheeks. “It was such a beautiful day.”
“It still is,” he replied more gently, “Or it can be. You jus’ have t’ see reason. You have t’ understand that the way things were wasn’t real. You have t’ accept that the truth is now before you. You have to be willing t’ take your place among the Forgotten Angels.”
Father's Promise
“Charlie,” a deep male voice cut through the darkness, seeming to echo off the stone markers.
Stiff, the young man cast his gaze around him. “Who’s there?” he shouted, half afraid that Keeper had come for him, and he would soon discover how strong his powers really were.
Moving into the moonlight, a rounded figure in a flowing white robe stood before him. Pointing at the long white beard, Charlie accused, “You.”
“Father!” Clarisse squealed, throwing herself against the shorter man and hugging him tightly. “I’m so glad you found us!”
“Easy my child,” the elder Summer Angel pushed at her thin frame, backing her away. Turning his attention to the young man, he nodded. “Special you are. I’ve said it before. And in league with Karma, no less.”
“You know about her?” Clarisse gasped, taken aback that Charlie had been right on at least that account.
“Yes,” Father began to pace a small area of dirt. “I know about her.”
“You’re not really human, are you,” Charlie accused, certain every step moved them closer to the truth. “How many others of your kind came here with Karma and Keeper?”
“Careful, Charlie,” Father warned. “Your curiosity has gotten you into trouble before.”
“Stow it,” he retorted angrily, “I’m tired of your games. I want answers.”
“Well, what makes you think you are entitled to answers, hmm?” Father ended the pacing and faced him squarely. “You and your generation. Always feeling you are entitled. That’s what’s wrong with this world.”
The air caught in Charlie’s chest. What’s wrong with this world, he breathed to himself.
Father could see the idea spark in the eyes of his adversary. “Smart man, Charlie Phillips.”
Aware that they two of them had shared a silent connection, Clarisse demanded loudly, “What’s going on? What are you talking about?”
“Charlie knows,” Father chuckled. “I am not one of them,” he continued in his raspy old voice. “But I did discover their secrets, many centuries ago.”
“Do tell,” Charlie quipped.
“When the time is right, you will discern what you are intended to know. I am not here to set your mind at ease,” Father replied calmly, pivoting slowly to face the girl.
Stricken with terror, Clarisse froze. Feeling the anguish to the tips of her toes, she gasped, “Please, Father. Tell me it is not so.”
“Clarisse, you are a woman of many years. A child you were, when you came from the waters of the Atlantic. Taken in by Destiny and given a purpose, you have lived in the shadow of a dark secret. One that Charlie has only begun to discover,” he replied cryptically.
“Yeah, more riddles,” Charlie blurted. Turning his palms up, he demanded firmly, “Don’ you people ever jus’ say what you mean?”
Giving him a brief scowl, Father remained focused on the girl, “Put your mind at ease, my daughter. Follow your heart and have faith in your mate.”
Stunned, Charlie recovered quickly, “Yeah, wife. Listen t’ your old man,” he translated loosely.
Her eyes flicking between them, Clarisse briefly considered if Father had somehow been taken in by Karma. Could she trust the man she had looked up to for so many decades? “How do I know you speak the truth?” she challenged.
“I make you no promises, Summer Angel; save one. The universe is a vast void, made smaller in the arms of the one who loves you.” With a wave of his hand, the old man disappeared, leaving the couple in surprised silence.
Minutes ticked by. The wind rustled the trees above them, causing the shadows to dance around them in the quiet of the dead.
“What the hell was that all about?” Charlie eventually spoke first.
“I have no idea,” Clarisse breathed deeply, “but I think he was trying to convince me to follow you.”
“Yeah,” her mate nodded. “That part I got.”
Cutting her eyes over at her new husband, the girl felt a flutter of joy in her gut. Giggling at his surliness, she grinned, “Should I take the old codger’s advice?”
A slow smile spread across Charlie’s lips, “You most certainly should.” Offering her his hand, he waited for her to come to him.
Moving slowly, as if unsure about her choice, Clarisse inched towards him. “What if he’s wrong? What if you’re wrong?”
“I can’t be right all the time,” Charlie countered, playfully curling his fingers at her before she took his hand. “See, that’s better,” he squeezed her digits. “We’re a team, and there’s nothin’ I wouldn’ do for you.”
Sliding into his arms, she relaxed against his chest. Taken with the urge to make love to him, she transported them back to the darkness of their island paradise.
Finding that the air had grown cold there as well, with the ocean breeze blowing in on them, Charlie set fire to a large pit filled with wood at the head of their bed; bathing their bodies in warm orange glow. Sliding her robe off her shoulder and dropping it to the floor, he growled, “You tempt me so deeply, earth woman.”
Biting her lip, she sighed. “I love you, Charlie. I’m really scared of what all of this means.”
“Don’t be scared,” he toyed with her skin, dragging his fingers lightly across it before removing his own clothing with only a thought. Turning and pushing her across the thick comforter, he clasped her hands and lay them over her head. Holding her in place, he parted her legs with his own and claimed her prize.
“We’re gonna do this every night,” he whispered against her ear.
“Oh, Charlie,” she replied, wrapping herself around him, drawing him deeper inside her.
Fighting Fire
The fire had burned itself out when Charlie awoke the following morning. Opening one eye and then the other, the bright light of mid-day greeted him warmly. Lying still, the sea breeze stirred the translucent material that surrounded them. The shallow breaths of the woman pressed against him put an ache in his chest.
Deep down, he knew that he was right about Karma. He only hoped that Clarisse had been, or would be, convinced, and that no trouble would come from her presence in Purgatory. His benefactor had promised that the girl would be his, and in fact she was. However, she had neglected to stipulate for how long, and he feared that once again their days together were numbered.
Stricken with grief, Charlie recalled the day Donna had ended her own life, essentially taking Clarisse with her; or vice versa. When speaking of a body inhabited by a ghost, it’s hard to say exactly who is in charge of what. Shifting so he could look squarely at her sleeping form, he traced the line of her jaw with a gentle caress.
“I promise,” he whispered against her cheek, “no matter what happens, you and I will never be apart again.”
Shifting slightly beneath the weight of him, Clarisse groaned. Rubbing her shoulder more firmly, he coerced her to consciousness. “Baby,” he called softly. “It’s time to go home.”
“Home,” she repeated groggily. Clarisse had not had a home in the true sense of the word in over a century, not counting the few months she had spent in Donna’s body. Opening her eyes, she licked her lips, then sat up and pushed her long blond strands out of her face. “Wow.”
“This is our place,” he informed her, getting to his feet and putting on his clothes casually. “We’ll come back here whenever we can.”
“I hope so,” she agreed, then stood next to him, instantly dressed in white shorts and a tank top, with white canvas sneakers on her feet. “Ok, let’s get this over with. I take it Purgatory is Karma’s domain?”
“Yeah,” he agreed, folding her into his arms. “Jus’ relax, and don’ piss her off. She can be a real bitch when you get on her bad side,” he warned.
“Then I will remain silent,” Clarisse agreed.
Staring into her soft blue eyes, Charlie considered what would happen when they got there. Deciding it only fair to warn her, he replied, “She can read your thoughts, love.”
Appearing unmoved, she only nodded, “I’m not surprised. Keeper and the twins can, too.”
Stunned, Charlie gaped at her, “They can? Why didn’t I know that?”
“Because it’s rude to read another person’s thoughts,” she bit curtly. “They have manners; and restraint.”
“Oh,” he agreed, glancing around them. “Well, Karma’s probably going to be poking around inside your head, so be ready for it. Jus’ relax and think positive thoughts.”
“I will, Charlie,” she agreed with a firm nod. “I have chosen you. I won’t mess this up for us.”
Nodding his understanding, he gripped her more firmly, then transported them to the room where they had met the day before. Releasing her once they had arrived, he looked around to discover the house seemed deserted.
“This is where we were yesterday,” she observed, moving away from him.
“Yeah, this is the atrium,” he supplied. “The whole place is called Purgatory, an’ that,” he indicated the barn, “is Karma’s private space.”
Glancing around, she noticed the tables in the next room. Feeling her stomach rumble, she gasped when a meal appeared on one of the long flat surfaces. Her mouth agape, she moved towards the feast, drawing in the scent of roasted chicken with dressing and vegetables.
“That smells delicious,” she breathed. She had gotten used to modern food while parading around as Donna, but had not needed a meal since returning to the plane of the Angels.
She found it curious that those in Purgatory ate real food, like ordinary people, recalling that Charlie had once referred to himself as a hybrid. And she had slept as well; she never needed it while she had been a Summer Angel, and a moment of fear twisted in her gut that she had in fact been altered somehow by her union with him.
“I’m sure that it is,” Charlie agreed, retrieving plates for them. “Karma’s an excellent cook.”
“She did this?” Clarisse leaned over to inhale the aroma more deeply.
“Of course,” a female voice interrupted them. Approaching the couple, her red pantsuit scraped noisily as her thighs brushed past each other in time with her heels clicking on the floor. “Hello, Clarisse. I’m Karma Kapoor,” the shorter woman extended her hand, her feet and legs falling silent when she stopped before her.
Taking the hand anxiously, Clarisse shook it, her eyes darting over to Charlie for approval. Opening her mouth to speak, her thoughts betrayed her an instant before she realized holding her tongue had done her little good; damn.
A slow smile spread across Karma’s face as she dropped the appendage. “I like her, Charlie,” she informed her minion. “You have chosen well.” Lifting a plate, she served herself and assumed her usual
seat at the head of the table.
“Where are the others?” Charlie asked, doing the same and taking the chair to her right.
“We will be dining alone today,” Karma replied calmly, watching the girl as she selected her food and took the chair to her left, facing her mate. “So tell me,” she asked in an excited voice, “What’s it like to finally learn about Keeper’s dirty little secret?”
Her eyes wide in surprise, Clarisse faltered, “Whatever do you mean?”
“I mean me, of course,” Karma grinned, taking a few bites of her meal. “I’m sure it must have come as a shock to learn of my existence.”
“Well,” Clarisse glared at Charlie, her eyes silently begging for help. When he made no attempt to rescue her, she drew a deep breath and admitted loudly, “Yes, it was a bit of a surprise. No one had ever spoken of you.”
“And rightly so,” Karma laughed. “But you are beyond that now, and the truth shall set you free.”
Anxiously considering what truth Karma might be referring to, Clarisse ate hungrily at her meal. Focusing on keeping her mind on the food, random images of the previous day and night floated in and out of her conscious thought.
Finishing her own, Karma turned to Charlie, “So, you had a visit from Father. How is he?”
“You know Father?” he gasped, scarcely stunned by the revelation. He could feel the secrets being revealed to him, and relished in the idea of gathering more about his benefactor and her people.
“Of course,” Karma’s laughter tinkled lightly. “I know all of the Light Angels,” she cut her eyes over at Clarisse, “And the Dark ones.”
“Father is a Summer Angel,” Clarisse clarified quickly.
“Yes, of course he is,” the woman in charge agreed. “Did he have anything important to share?”
“He told me I should follow Charlie’s wishes,” Clarisse didn’t bother to attempt deception. Karma would have the truth, either way.
“Bright girl,” the darker haired woman praised. Turning her attention back to Charlie, she smiled sweetly at him. “You know we should fight fire with fire,” she announced.
The Karma Set - Summer Spirit Novellas 4 - 6 Page 10
