Where was the angel? It was her hallucination. She was in control of it. He had to be around here somewhere. She’d find him and strike a deal. Her life for Jake’s. Send her back long enough to rescue her son, get him to safety. Then she’d die. Maybe that would jolt her back to reality.
At the end of the black tunnel, a blinding light shone. About time he showed up. It felt as if she’d been waiting for hours. A large figure emerged between the darkness and the light. She watched as his huge white wings unfurled before her. And more wings. And more wings. And still more wings, so many wings she lost count. Against her better judgment, she felt her jaw go slack. This was not the same hallucination she’d had before.
This creature burned like a pillar of fire, yet was not consumed. Sparks flew off this delusional being and thunderclouds whirled around him. And he was gigantic, taller than any tree she’d ever seen. She felt like an ant must feel around humans. Something was very wrong.
Rather than being elated by his presence, she was terrified. This could not be good. Who was he? Did she smell sulfur? Had she fallen into hell instead of heaven? Was this fiery being Satan? Or was it one of his demonic minions?
Feet frozen in place, her heart competed with her lungs to escape from her constricted chest. She wished she were dead. No. Yes. Well, perhaps technically she was dead. Was there something worse than death and was it coming for her now?
Blazed into his chest was the Tetragammaton, Yod, He, Waw and He, or YHWH, four letters in Hebrew that indicated God’s divine name. She racked her brains, trying to recall her father’s endless sermons and exhortations on demons and angelic beings. Why hadn’t she paid better attention? She should know this hallucination by name.
The creature roared. “Why have you rejected my gift? I sent you one who would save you, yet you abandoned him.”
Her heart dropped from her throat to where her stomach had once been. She struggled to cling to her attachment to reality, to the thoughts that tethered her to earth. And lost the battle.
She was beyond dead. She was in deep shit.
But what did she have to lose? Ears ringing, eyes filled with tears, she shouted into the tempest of his wrath, “I didn’t reject my son or abandon him. I know he’s special. Jake was stolen from me. If you’re truly an angel, you’d know that.”
“How dare you speak to me in that way?”
The flaming pillar grew before her eyes. She shielded her face from the blaze.
“How dare you say I rejected my child?” She stomped her foot. “And get down here. I will not negotiate with someone I can’t see eye to eye.”
Thunder rumbled.
“You wish to stare at my face?” He popped down to her size and stepped next to her. The flames died down around him, and he flicked a few final embers off his wings. Up close, he was younger than she thought. And he was laughing.
His name flashed into her mind and she fell to her knees.
“Metatron.”
“Exchange not Yahweh for me. Arise that we may speak.”
She stood and faced the Lord’s messenger. “Forgive me. I’ve had a bad day. I didn’t recognize you.” She knew she sounded like a dolt. It was her world, her creation, her hallucination.
But, on the off chance he was real, what did one say to God’s envoy? To the being who spoke through another predicting the great flood and the end of the world? The one who saved Isaac from his father’s knife? To the angel who sat with Moses as he lay dying?
He laughed again. “You have many questions.”
She stared at him. Had he read her mind?
“Yes, I can hear your thoughts and see what’s in your heart.” He took her oh so pale hand in his large dark one. “Walk with me.”
****
Alejandro pushed his ATV up the hill as fast as he dared on the slick surface. If he got hurt, it wouldn’t help Angie. The storm had lashed him for the last twenty miles, and his hands cramped from the effort of staying upright and on track. Thunder rumbled, but this time it was further away. He crested the hill, looked down and spotted the wrecked MUV. His heart lurched.
From this angle, he couldn’t tell if she was inside. Was she safe? Had she made it to the cabin at the bottom of the hill? He couldn’t bear the thought of losing another person he cared about. He bit his bottom lip and took a deep breath. God, if you really exist, please let her be okay. He cranked the throttle and pushed onward until he came alongside the other vehicle.
Thrown onto the roll bar and captured by the safety net, Angie lay on her side, motionless. Drenched and splattered with mud, her white thermal underwear afforded her no protection, but at least she still had her helmet on.
Alejandro removed his headgear, leaped off the ATV, and raced to her side. He’d have to care for her here. It wasn’t as if he could call 9-1-1 or summon a Medivac.
“Angie, it’s Alejandro. Can you hear me?”
No response.
“I have to pull you out of the vehicle so I can help you. Say something, anything, please. Can you move a finger?”
No response.
Limp-limbed, her shoulders weighed heavy in his hands. He pulled her out of the vehicle and lay her alongside the MUV. Failing to find a pulse in her wrist, he placed his middle finger under her jaw and held his breath.
Nothing, no, dear Lord, that couldn’t be. He took another deep breath and pressed against her cold skin. There it was. Weak, thready, the beat was erratic—but it was there. The helmet had to come off so he could do an assessment. Taking great care not to jostle her neck, he folded his waterproof jacket and slid it under her neck. Then he removed the damaged, but not shattered headgear.
He sucked in his breath. Bloody abrasions stood out against her pale cheeks, and blue bruises bloomed on her forehead. Without a hospital or CT scanner, he’d have to rely on his powers of observation and his first aid training. No penetrating head trauma. No shards of plastic stuck out of her skin. He pried her eyes open and to his immense relief, the pupils in her beautiful green eyes reacted to light.
She exhaled and moaned. “Mmmph.”
His heart leaped in his throat. Incomprehensible speech was better than none.
“Angie, speak to me baby.”
She sighed, moaned, and went silent. He hated the next step, but he had to do it. Alejandro rolled up her sleeve and pinched her tender inner arm. She blinked and twitched. Good, she was in there somewhere; he just needed to help her find her way back.
First, he had to move her inside the cabin, get her warm before hypothermia could finish off what the accident had started. The only thing that seemed to be a possibility for a transport board was her one-piece insulated suit. He slid it under her one limb at time, dragged her to the cabin, and stopped at the steps. Supporting her head and neck, he reached under her legs, lifted, and kicked the door open to the empty cabin.
****
She floated alongside Metatron. This was even weirder than her last so-called angelic encounter. A pillar of fire, three dozen wings, thunderstorms and whirlwinds. Last time the trauma of childbirth had been responsible for her hallucinations. But this one was a doozy. She must really have head trauma.
“I’m not a dream. Or a vision from your injuries.” His voice rumbled and resonated in her chest.
“I told you, my son was kidnapped. Why can’t you let me die after I rescue him?”
Sparks flew from his head. “Don’t be like Lilith. She thought she could do everything herself, too.”
“What is it I should be doing? Tell me. I’ll do anything to save my son.” Why wasn’t he listening to her?
“Have you heard the story of the man who heard a flood was coming? The water rose, and police came to take him to safety. He refused to go, said he was waiting for a sign from the Lord. The water covered the lands and as he sat on his roof, a boat came by and offered to take him away. He refused again, saying he was waiting for a sign. A helicopter came next. Yet he still refused, waiting for a sign from the Lord.”
&n
bsp; “And?”
“He drowned. When the man appeared before the Lord, he chastised the Divine One for not sending him a sign. Yahweh said, ‘I sent you warnings, police, a boat and a helicopter. Those were my signs, you stubborn fool.’”
She stopped and stared at God’s messenger. A white feather fluttered down from his uppermost wing. It landed on her arm and stung her skin.
“Ouch.” She jerked away.
Metatron gave her an indulgent look. “I am here for one reason and one reason only. To help you and your son, who is very special. Your son has powers handed down from generations of healers in his father’s family. YAHWEH has added to and amplified these powers. He truly is the Chosen One as prophesized. Not in the Book of Enoch, but elsewhere, in yet to be discovered scrolls.”
“My father is going to be so pissed when he finds out he was wrong.”
Metatron roared with laughter. “That one has many things wrong.” His expression became somber. “He misleads many on a dangerous path. I have more important matters to discuss with you. I bring you a message from the Divine One.”
This is a hallucination. Don’t get emotional.
Still, she blinked away tears. Jake. First and foremost, she had to save her baby.
“Please tell me my son will be rescued.”
He dropped her hand. “Sometimes you need a deputy angel, sometimes you need a warrior, and sometimes you need both.”
Thunder rumbled in the distance and lightning sparked off his head. Thirty-six wings flapped in unison, created a windstorm, and pushed her away. She reached out to grab his hand and missed. Angie fell to her knees and began to slide backward down a slippery slope. Even though it was a dream, a delusion, panic filled her chest.
“No, don’t go,” she shrieked. “I want you on my side.”
“YAHWEH breathed life into you. His blessings abound in and around you. Your son is a healer, your children will sing the Lord’s praises. You have all the strength and help you need.”
Metatron disappeared, but his booming voice remained.
“See with your heart and not your head.”
The sharp grade became a silent cyclone, its force sucking Angie down to earth and pulling her back into her body. Utter panic overtook her. She had to go back, had to make a deal with an angel, had to save her son. The silence was torn asunder by the force of a booming voice, oh dear God, was it Metatron? Was he real? Had he come back?
“Angie?”
She blinked and looked into the dark eyes of her deputy angel.
****
“There you are.” Relief streamed through his muscles and tingled his fingers and toes. Tears sprang to his eyes. “You scared the crap out of me.”
Angie blinked rapidly, then licked her lips. “How long?”
“I’m guessing you’ve been out about four to six hours. You had a good head start on me.” He stroked her hair and gazed at her long lashes, upturned nose, and sprinkling of freckles. Where had the bruises and abrasions gone?
“Can you move your fingers?”
She withdrew her hands from the blanket and waved at him. She stopped, glanced down, and her eyebrows shot up. “Um. You’re in bed with me.”
Elbow crooked, he placed his cheek on his hand. “You had hypothermia. I started a fire, but it wasn’t warming you fast enough.”
“Am I naked?”
“Your clothes were drenched.”
“Are you naked?”
He’d been so worried about her while she was unconscious, all thoughts of sex had flown out of his mind. With Angie awake and alert, however, his little head had woken up and was attempting to burst out of his boxer shorts.
“Not completely.”
“That’s too bad.”
Alejandro pulled back and stared at her. What was the punch line? Was she about to knee him in the balls? “Pardon?”
She smiled, pulled his head down, and whispered, “Make love to me.”
Alejandro rolled out of the bed and backed up to the roaring fire. “Bad idea.”
Her gaze fell on his groin. “You’re pointing at me. I think that means you want me.” She dropped the blanket, exposing her large breasts. They were even more luscious than he’d imagined. Rose colored nipples pointed back at him. “Come back to bed. I want to show you my appreciation for saving my life.”
His big head fought with his little one. “You’ve had a traumatic experience. You probably have a head injury. I think you need to get your rest.”
“I’ve never felt better.”
Keeping the blanket wrapped around her waist, she stood and walked in front of him. The fire reflected flecks of blue in her green eyes and sparked copper highlights in her hair. A white aura surrounded her.
He rubbed his eyes, convinced it was a trick of the lighting. What happened to her bruises, abrasions, and scratches? It was as if she’d been healed while he dozed beside her. She licked her full red lips and dropped the blanket.
Months of training had given her rock hard abs and muscular legs. Nestled between her ivory thighs was a triangle of red hair that commanded his attention.
“I’ve been celibate for two long years. I almost died, had the weirdest freaking dreams I’ve ever had in my life, and I feel as if I’m more alive than I’ve been in years. I want you to lick and suck my tits and make love to me until I pass out. Then start over again when I wake up.” She reached down and rubbed his crotch. I want you, no I need you to make love to me. Now.”
Angie grabbed his buttocks and pulled him to her, pushing her groin against his. She rubbed her hard nipples on his chest and whispered, “Doesn’t this feel good?”
He could hardly breathe, much less speak.
She ran her hand inside his boxers and seized his throbbing cock. Running her fingers first around the moist head, then up and down the shaft, her nimble hand turned his brains to pudding. A miasma of desire enveloped him. His attention zeroed in on the feeling of her hands on him, her floral scent mixed with a musky female smell, and the sound of his heart pounding. He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted a woman before in his life. She had nearly died and the only thing she wanted now was for him to make love to her. How could he refuse?
He grabbed her shoulders, pulled her close, and slanted his mouth over hers. She tasted like honey and milk. How was that possible? He brushed aside the thought and ran his hands across her back, pulling her even closer, pressing her nipples into his chest, as if he could burn their image onto his flesh like a tattoo. He wanted to touch her soft skin and bury himself inside her until he blacked out from exhaustion. Years of training kicked in. He stopped kissing her and pulled away.
“I don’t want to take advantage of you.”
She pulled him back, curving her long luscious body against his. Their bodies fit together, jigsaw puzzle pieces carved to perfection. “Sure I’m not taking advantage of you?”
Dizzy with lust, he abandoned logic and returned her ardor. He turned her around, putting her back to the fire, and knelt at her feet. Spreading her legs slightly apart, he nuzzled her silky triangle with quick licks and nips.
She giggled. “Your beard tickles.”
Alejandro growled, pulled her wet center to his face and ran his tongue along her folds, grazing her bud as if by accident, teasing her. Moaning, she dug her fingers into his hair and pulled his head tighter in an attempt to force him to lap at her button. Just as she was about to come, he stood, lifted her by the waist and set her on the bed. “One moment.”
A red condom from El Harén flew to the floor when he scrabbled in his wallet.
Her eyes widened and she grinned. “Emergency rations?”
“I never leave home without one.”
She straddled his lap, her milk white breasts and hard nipples begging for his kisses. Mind-reading, she pulled his head to her and whispered, her breath teasing his neck and ear.
“Suck them.”
Suddenly ravenous, Alejandro fell on one, then the other breast, alternating bet
ween them, sucking, holding one nipple in his teeth, pulling the other with his fingers. She clutched his head, ground her molten center against his hardening cock and moaned. He wasn’t the only hungry person in the room. Angie was starving for her child and for love.
She pushed him on his back and began kissing his neck, chest, and belly. She worked her way down with nips between kisses. His skin tingled and his little head danced with anticipation. When she arrived at his penis, he heard a gasp.
“Oh. So. Big.”
“That a problem?”
“Not at all.”
And as the thought of where he would put that throbbing rod entered his head, she ran her sharp nails down the side of his cock and across his balls. “Oh. My. God.”
“You like?”
“I like.” A rose color suffused her pale skin like a canvas. He couldn’t believe he was having sex with this smart, sassy, beautiful woman. If only it could be more than a one-night stand. A pipedream. He’d savor the moment, enjoy every second, and keep this experience in his memories to warm him on long cold nights when she was gone from his life. His chest tightened at the thought of losing her. His job, her son, what would become of them? This obsession, no matter how wonderful, would not, could not, ever hold up in the light of day.
He gasped as she put the condom on the head of his penis, and then unrolled it all the way down to base of his thickened shaft with her ever-so-slow-dancing fingers. His cock stood at attention and saluted. She was killing him. And he’d die a happy man.
She rolled on top of his belly and hovered over him.
“Wait.” He feathered his fingers up her inner thighs and slid a finger across her inner, then outer lips, and she gasped. Angie threw her head back when his finger grazed her rock hard bud. Using slow, gentle strokes, as if he was calming a frightened kitten, he brought her to the brink of orgasm and stopped—again and again. Just as it appeared she was about to come, he pulled her down on his raging hard-on deep within, filling her hot core with his wishes, hopes, and prayers that this wonderful feeling would last forever.
Chapter Fifteen
Angie woke up with a start, rolled over in the cramped bed and stared at the sleeping man beside her. Where was she? How did she get here? What the hell had she done? Think, woman.
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