Run Angel Run: A Steamy Dark Fantasy Romance (The Angels of David's Town Book 1)

by Karen Van Der Poll

  “I’m going to carry you up to your room,” Roharn said. “I think you need to be in bed for a couple of hours, or at least until the headache goes away.”

  “I can walk,” Reba protested, when he hoisted her up into his arms.

  “And deny me the pleasure of showing how strong, and manly I am to your beautiful bodyguard,” he teased.

  “Don’t worry,” Monique laughed, as she followed behind Roharn. “I’m already impressed at how fast you got here to help me. I was beyond panicked when I called you. That’s a nasty hex, Reba. I’m going to chat with Elijah this afternoon, perhaps we can do a counter spell, to prevent the seizure from happening again.”

  Reba lay her head on Roharn’s shoulder, listening to him and Monique discuss the counterspell, as they made their way to her room. Roharn carried her to the bed, and Monique pulled back the covers, and fluffed the pillows before he laid her down.

  “Roharn,” Reba clutched his wrist, pulling him closer to her. “Was there another murder last night?”

  He blinked, his head jerking back, “no…not that I’m aware of.” He seemed genuinely surprised at her question.

  “Is Blue okay?” She sank her nails into his wrist. “His condition didn’t change overnight? You would tell me, wouldn’t you?”

  Roharn covered her hand with his, “hey, what’s all this worry about? Blue’s condition hasn’t changed. I worked at Basildon General’s ED last night, but if there had been an issue with Blue, I would have been notified, and I wouldn’t be sitting here with you.”

  Reba closed her eyes. “I guess I’m just overthinking everything. If you see Danjal could you tell him I wanted to see him?” She kept her voice as neutral as possible. She was just too tired to explain last night to Roharn.

  “Of course I will.”

  “Do you work in the human world as well?” Monique turned from closing the drapes over the French doors.

  “I’m trained in both worlds, so I split my time between the two.” He looked at his watch. “Now I should get some shut-eye too, I’m back on duty tonight.”

  Long after Monique and Roharn left Reba’s room, she lay awake replaying the events of last night over and over, in her mind. At some point she must have fallen asleep, because when next she woke, Monique was sitting on the edge of her bed, telling her it was almost dinner time.

  “I can ask Kathleen to bring something up for you?” she offered when Reba groaned sleepily, and pulled the duvet over her face. “And before you ask, no I haven’t seen Danjal.”

  “Okay,” Reba nodded. “Give me ten minutes, and I’ll get dressed. Perhaps he’ll be at dinner.”

  When they got to the kitchen everyone was already seated. Danjal’s place at the head of the table was occupied by Noah.

  “How are you this evening?” he asked, as Reba pulled out a chair, and sat down. “Roharn informed me of your seizure during your spell work today. I hope you’re feeling better.”

  “I’m fine,” she found it hard to look at him. It wasn’t as if the seizures hadn’t been happening for years, their last encounter was still too fresh in her mind. “I slept off the worst of the headache this afternoon.”

  “Well, that’s good to hear. Monique said you did a lot of work before the Hex kicked in. I’m pleased to hear that you are focusing on your magic.”

  Reba reached for the bowl of sweet potato, and dumped a heaped spoon on her plate. She bit her tongue, in a bid to stop the acerbic retort that burned on her lips.

  “There is little else to focus on around here Noah,” she replied, sweetness, dripping from her words, as she flicked him a sideways glance. “I’m glad for something to do with my time.”

  “You mentioned discussing a counter spell with Elijah,” Noah turned his attention to Monique. “I would like to see Reba progress with as little trauma to herself as possible.”

  Monique nodded, “I did, he said he would do some research, and get back to me. He felt it may be a little more intricate, and we should seek advice from other witches, who may be more familiar with long-standing camouflaging spells.”

  “I might have a word with him this evening,” Noah took the plate of sliced lamb that Cassian passed him.

  Following on, dinner went smoothly. Reba sat in silence though, barely hearing the conversation around her. Malakai was also absent from the dinner table, and she recalled seeing him last night with a backpack over his shoulder.

  When Sophie cleared the plates, she placed a blueberry tart on the table with jars of hot custard, and a tub of vanilla ice cream. Never being a sweet tooth, Reba opted for coffee and watched while the warriors, and Monique tucked into the dessert.

  “You’re quiet this evening Reba?” Noah spooned pudding into his mouth. “I noticed you ate like a sparrow.”

  “I’ve been fighting a headache for most of the day,” she grimaced, in truth she just found it unbearable to be in his smug company.

  “Do you need something to help the headache?” Roharn appeared oblivious to the undercurrent that ran between her and Noah.

  “No, thank you. I’ve got a box of Ibuprofen in my bathroom. I think I may need an early night.”

  “Where is Danjal?” Monique asked casually looking at Noah. “I haven’t seen Kai either. I was hoping to have a word with him this evening.”

  Reba watched Noah’s eyes narrow, as he pushed his empty bowl away, and reached for his napkin. He took his time wiping his lips, before he dumped it onto the table.

  “They’re in Rome.”

  “Rome!” Reba blurted, “What is he doing in Rome?”

  “Attending a seminar,” Noah finished his sentence, and tilted his head towards Reba. “Seeing as he had time off, and I was here, I thought it would be an excellent opportunity for him, to brush up on his leadership skills.”

  Reba stood so abruptly, her chair’s legs screeched over the stone floor, and all eyes turned to her. “I think I’ll go to my room,” she gritted her teeth till her jaw ached. “I’m suddenly quite nauseated,” she shoved the chair back under the table.

  “If that’s the case, I’ll see you first thing in the morning, Reba,” Noah’s tone was cool. “I was hoping to catch up with you after dinner, but given you’re unwell, tomorrow may be best.”

  “Why?” she snapped, and her fingers gripped the back of the chair so hard, her knuckles hurt. A stunned silence fell around the table. Perhaps it was the tone of her voice, or because no one ever questioned the general.

  “To discuss your immediate future,” he waved a dismissive hand. “but now isn’t the time. I can see you are unwell. Perhaps Roharn can administer something a little stronger for you, to ensure you get a good night’s sleep.”

  “What about my immediate future?” She wasn’t one of his warriors, how dare he make decisions for her? But there was something in the undertones of his voice, that had the hair on her neck prickling.

  “As I said before Rebecca, we will discuss it after breakfast, and in private, when you’re in a better frame of mind.”

  She hated the condescending edge to his voice, and she remembered Danjal telling her that Noah was a powerful man, accustomed to making the hard decisions. She wondered if she’d just become one of those.

  “No problem,” she plastered on a bright smile. “I’ll see you first thing then.”

  “Goodnight Rebecca,” he reached for his coffee. “I hope your sleep is restful.”

  Unfortunately, sleep didn’t come. Though the tablets helped soothe her aching head, Reba spent most of the night tossing and turning. Thoughts of what Noah wanted to say to her in the morning played on repeat in her head. She was especially apprehensive about what he’d meant by discussing her future. She didn’t care if he was Isiah’s best friend or not, he was a dick of a man, with too much power over others at his disposal.

  Whenever she thought of Danjal, anxiety made aching knots in her stomach. Why hadn’t he tried to contact her, he was only in Rome, not another bloody dimension. She twisted in her bedclo
thes, he could at least have said goodbye before he left too. She knew he’d warned her about his duty taking precedence over everything, but this silence was killing her.

  Her bedside clock told her it was just gone four, when she finally gave up on sleep. The idea of coffee dragged her from her tangled bed. Pulling on jeans and a sweater, she made her way downstairs. She was surprised to find a strip of light shining from beneath the closed kitchen door.

  Reba knew Sophie the cook started her day at four-thirty, so the kitchen should be empty. She paused before she pushed it open, hoping it wasn’t Noah. She wasn’t ready to deal with him yet.

  “Danjal!” she exclaimed, her mouth falling open. “Oh my God you’re back!”

  He leaned against the bench, a mug of steaming coffee in his hand. Dressed only in snug black exercise shorts, he stared down at his bare feet, appearing deep in thought. At the sound of her voice, he looked up, his eyes flaring. “Good morning,” he stuttered as if surprised to see her there.

  “How are you?” she raced towards him, but he turned away placing his mug on the benchtop and headed towards the fridge. “Good,” he grunted not turning back to look at her.

  The skin on her scalp prickled, and every nerve in her body tingled. “Is there something wrong, Danjal?” He’d purposely turned away from her, and that stung. She wanted so desperately to feel his arms about her. Taste his lips on hers. Hear him tell her how much he’d missed her.

  Danjal paused for a second, his shoulders stiffening, and then he pulled the fridge door open. “Did Noah speak with you yet,” he asked.

  “No, he hasn’t!” Reba grabbed a mug from beside the coffee machine, and proceeded to pour the aromatic brew into it. “I wasn’t well last night, so I have to see him after breakfast this morning.”

  “That will be good. Perhaps we can talk after.” He closed the fridge, and leaned against it folding his arms across his chest, he looked down at his bare feet.

  “What did Noah say to you after he found us in here together?” Why couldn’t he even look at her?

  “Duty,” she saw his throat work as he swallowed. “He just reminded me of why I was back here in David's Town.”

  “And what about us?” she marched towards him. “What did he say about us?” She waved her hand between them, “because something has changed here. You pissed off right after we were intimate, without a bloody word of explanation. What the fuck is wrong Danjal? Why can’t you even look at me? I thought we’d talked all this shit through.”

  He headed back to the bench where he’d left his mug, in his haste to grab it, he knocked the cup over, spilling the contents. “Fuck it!” He threw his hands in the air, and backed away from the hot liquid.

  Reba grabbed a tea towel from the oven door, and rushed to wipe the coffee, as the black liquid dripped down the front of the brightly painted cupboard door. She bent down to wipe the floor, when she felt Danjal touch her shoulder.

  “Reba, I can do that.”

  “It’s fine,” she looked up at him, and her breath caught in her lungs. “Oh my God,” she whispered as a crippling pain in her gut, prevented her from standing. There were deep scratches along his flanks, and from his belly button downwards, was a trail of dark purple love bites disappearing beneath the elastic of his shorts. “Where have you really been?” She whispered her voice cracking, as she fought back the flood of tears blurring her vision.

  He didn’t answer immediately, just put his hands on his hips, and turned his back on her. He stared at the floor for several seconds, and she saw the muscles in his scarred back working, as he moved his shoulders, cracking his neck as if to relieve the tension. When he turned back around, his face was an icy mask.

  “Get up Reba,” his voice was brittle as he held his hand out to help her to her feet, but she smacked it away, and used the cupboard as a crutch to help her to her feet.

  His pale lips were puffy and pinker than usual, the area around them reddened. Her gaze fell upon a bruise on his neck. It sat right over his carotid artery, its twin scabs still a little bloody at its center.

  His pale hands clenched into fists, and his knuckles blanched white. “Have you seen enough Reba?” His jaw was clenched so tight, she barely recognized his voice.

  Hot tears poured over her lids in streams of humiliation. “Oh, I have seen enough Danjal Bendagan, and thank you so much for stopping me from making a fool of myself again!”

  Danjal cupped the back of his neck in his hand. “Noah said he’d speak with you, explain things.” He spun away from her again, pacing before the fridge.

  “What would Noah need to explain to me?” She banged her fist against her chest. “That you obviously don’t have the guts to?” she yelled. She picked up her mug, and launched it at him. He ducked just in time, as it sailed within a hair’s breadth of his face, hot coffee flying everywhere.

  Danjal’s mouth moved, but no sound came. His chin dipped to his chest, as he averted his eyes. When he spoke, his voice rasped, “Reba, you and I,” he gestured between them, “we can’t. We can’t be…” he stuttered.

  White noise filled Reba’s ears, she heard no more than the words, ‘we can’t be.’

  “But we are, and we did!” She yanked the choker from her neck, the torn links scattering across the floor. “You gave that to me the day after you took my virginity, on the kitchen floor of my little flat. I was so caught up in you, and in the moment. I forgot to tell you, I’d never fucked before.” Her laugh was a self-disparaging cackle. “After that, naïve little me was nothing more than a receptacle, for your pleasure!” She lobbed the necklace at him.

  Danjal caught it in one hand, his fingers folding over it, as his hand formed a fist that he pressed over his heart. “Reba please, you have to listen to me. I never wanted to hurt you.”

  “But you did,” she stormed towards him. “You only wanted to know my secrets, so you could control me,” she hurled the accusation at him. The air in the kitchen grew thick, and crackled with static.

  “Reba,” Monique stood in the open kitchen door, her arms folded across her chest. “Rein that anger in before it gets out of control. You can’t afford another seizure so soon after yesterday.”

  “I can’t help it!” Reba sobbed holding her trembling hands at her sides. “I don’t know what’s happening to me.” The cups, glasses and cutlery, rattled in the cupboards, and the air around her shifted, creating currents, that lifted her unruly hair from her shoulders, turning it into an eerie halo about her head.

  She heard Noah asking in that arrogant authoritative voice of his, “what the fuck is she doing now?”

  “It’s her other gift, we elementals have two abilities, the other is usually a lesser power,” Monique replied.

  “And why the hell didn’t we know about it?”

  “It’s air,” Danjal replied. “She can manipulate air.”

  Her hatred at Noah’s attitude drove her wrathful feelings for him. “Tell your father and your friends, to back the fuck off.” Reba nodded to the kitchen door where several of the warriors gathered, behind Monique and Noah.

  “Just give her space, Noah,” Monique suggested. “She didn’t know she had this potential, and that’s what makes it dangerous. Reba,” she called as the kitchen windows rattled. “You have to control your anger. This element is just as dangerous as the flame.”

  “What the hell did you say to her Danjal?” Noah turned his ire on Danjal. “I told you I’d speak with her, and explain this bloody mess.”

  “He said nothing to me Noah,” Reba’s voice growled. “He went one better and showed me, by fucking a vampire,” she spat the words at Danjal.

  “Stop this, Rebecca, and remember who you are.” The authority in Noah’s voice sliced through her like a knife.

  “I know who I am Noah, but I don’t know what I am yet, or what I’m capable of. So tell your warriors to get the fuck, out of my way.” She clamped her hands into white-knuckled fists, and the currents of static slowed down, and the rattling
noise ceased. She stormed towards the door, her hands clenched into fists. “I need to get out of here, before I do something, I won’t be responsible for.”

  Noah and the warriors stepped aside, and let her pass, all but Cassian, who stood his ground.

  “Where are you going?” Danjal followed behind her, the concern in his voice almost made her turn around. Just for one millisecond, she allowed herself to hope he gave a shit about her. But the reality of this situation, was like an ice-cold shower, she’d been down this path before. Instead she snarled, “Outside, and as far away from you as I can get.”

  She stood toe-to-toe with Cassian, who made no effort to get out of her way.

  “Stand down Cassian,” Noah ordered. “There is no point in antagonizing her.”

  “You heard your boss. Get out of my way.” Reba tipped her face up to his, and stared defiantly into his eyes.

  “Don’t threaten me, little girl,” Cassian snorted. “Your powers be damned. I’ll still snap your neck like a twig.”

  “Enough Cassian,” Danjal spoke from behind them. “No one will raise a hand to her!”

  Cassian stepped aside, and folded his arms across his chest. “Do you think it’s wise to allow her outside?” His jaw was tight with disapproval, as Reba marched past him, heading for the entrance hall.

  “I think the cold air might do her the world of good,” Noah replied. “Give her a chance to cool her heels. She can’t leave the grounds. There are guards everywhere out there.”

  “This is my mess,” Danjal walked after her. “I will fix it.”

  “From your past experience with this woman, you will only make it worse. Give her space,” Noah called after them, as Danjal followed her to the front door.

  “You would do well to listen to your Daddy,” static popped in the air around her, as her anger surged again. “I bared my soul to you Danjal,” she reached out, and hauled the door open, “and you trampled it like a soiled rag.” Freezing cold morning air poured into the warm house. “Thank you for reminding me of what a fool I was, to think I could turn the head of an angel.”