She Speaks to Angels (24 page)

Like a ship on a stormy sea, I lost balance and spun out of control, but Dameon’s hold tightened around my arms, his weight so heavy that I could not pick myself off the floor of the stall. His large wing hit the door and it flung open. I hoped someone would walk into the bathroom and scare Dameon away; perhaps Molly in search of me? Intrusion might be my only hope. I could not push the demon off of me. He simply had too much strength.

Tears began to slip out of my eyes, though I did not want my last moments to be spent in fear or regret. I fought to keep the tears at bay and hardened my expression. If I would die today, I would die bravely. Gritting my teeth, I bit Dameon’s arm and then his hand.

“
You bitch!” Dameon cried. Perhaps I had hurt him a little. He slapped my head with his other hand.

I couldn’t be too sure what happened then. I felt my forehead hit the tiled floor, and I saw my own blood, crimson blood, spill into the creases and grooves. I heard a window smash, and, as I lost consciousness, I felt Dameon’s weight lift off of me.

I heard a rustling sound all around me, but I didn’t see any white wings. I saw a hard, athletic body...more like a man. This mystery man pounced on top of Dameon like Hercules. I didn’t want to question it, but I wondered if what — if who — I saw had more to do with the blood slowly draining from my forehead and less to do with a real event. But I didn’t feel Dameon on top of me anymore. Maybe I really had fallen unconscious. Perhaps Dameon had already taken my limp body out of The Edge through the window I had heard smash earlier, and now he had thrown me into the nearby river. Could I be drowning?

As my lids drooped and I hung in a state somewhere between heaven and Earth, I saw the oversized man lunge toward a set of black wings. Mostly, I could only see the large leathery bat-like wings standing in front of me, but I saw the man out of the corner of my eye. When the man hit Dameon again, the demon fell over as if this man somehow had strength the dark angel did not.

Crawling forward, I dug my nails into the tiled floor. I wanted to pull my body out of the stall. If this was real, if this unidentified man didn’t defeat Dameon, I had to be ready to bolt. Each motion of my hand felt as if I were moving a ton of bricks. I couldn’t be sure how far I pulled myself. As I heard the two males collide and fall against the sinks, I must have finally managed to make it to the bathroom door. I threw my hand over the knob and pulled myself up slowly, falling back down only once. With the knob helping to keep me balanced, I tried to open the door. Jammed. Blood dripped from my forehead to my hand on the knob as my eyes searched the latch. Locked. That bastard Dameon must have snuck in and locked the door while I sat on my knees puking in the stall.

Unlocking the latch, I pushed the door open with the full weight of my body. I had little strength left in my hands and arms, and my legs were questionable. I stumbled outside the bathroom, and my hands fumbled over the banister and along the wall to keep me upright.

When I made it to the entryway, I could see our table straight ahead against the far wall. If I could just make it to the table, I might have a fighting chance of getting out of here alive...that is if I truly was still here and not unconscious somewhere dreaming all of this.

Like a drunk, I stumbled to my table with a few dancers pushing me along on my journey. The dark room kept my wounds hidden. Besides who would care in The Edge? Drunk and dancing. I probably seemed out of it, reeking of alcohol. But when I arrived at the booth where Molly sat, she immediately saw that something was seriously wrong.

“
Ali! Good God, what happened?”

I held my forehead with my hand. “I was attacked...”

“
Where?”

“
In the bathroom. I just want to get out of here.” I exploded into a fountain of tears and held my reddening face in my hands. Part of me wanted to stay strong, but I just could not be strong anymore. I had almost died, three times. Dameon came so close to killing me, even closer than the first time, that I worried about what would happen next time. Would he finally accomplish his goal?

“
What’s going on?” Jennifer bounced up behind us with the sexy Latino at her side.

“
We’re getting out of here.” Mol looked angry and stomped her foot.

“
But we just got here; it’s finally getting fun.” Jen protested.

“
Just come on!” Molly held my arm and walked with me as she snatched Jen’s forearm with the other hand and pulled her along angrily. I stayed close to Mol, my head near her shoulder, my feet marching along beside hers. She moved slowly for my benefit, but I could see that she was extremely upset. I didn’t have to go into details with her. The mere fact that someone hurt me, hurt any of her friends, would send a shiver of rage down her spine.

When we reached the exit door, the doorman looked us up and down. “Going already?”

“
Yeah, look at her face!” Mol reacted furiously. “Someone inside hit her!”

“
I’m so sorry...I’ll send security in immediately.”

“
Yeah, you do that...but we’re not coming back.” Mol retorted shoving both Jen and me, propelling us all forward.

As we plodded hand in hand to Jennifer’s sedan I wondered where Kian had been all this time. My protector hadn’t shown up. Instead, a stranger came to my rescue. Instead, my best friend Molly had saved me from sure detriment if I couldn’t find my way out of that club!

Sliding into the backseat of the car and eyeing my wounds in the rearview mirror lit from the dome light, I saw that the gash in my forehead looked deep, and the black and blue marks that would mark my body tomorrow would send Mom and Samuel into a hissy. I decided to keep my wounds a secret, but whenever I next saw Kian, I would have to give him a piece of my mind.

When we pulled up into my driveway, I needed help from Molly to get out of the car. She helped me to the door, and then I waved goodbye to both of my friends as I watched the sedan drive away from the house. I had to sneak around the banister and quickly up the steps to avoid Mom seeing me. Samuel would be out late; he usually stayed at the police station or out with his colleagues on Saturdays.

“
Is that you?” Mom called up to me from the rocking chair in the living room.

“
Yeah, Mom. It’s me.” My foot stopped momentarily as I spoke. I kept my back to her and my eyes on the top step.

“
Home early.”

“
Wasn’t as much fun as we thought. Going to bed.”

“
Just glad you’re home, kiddo.”

I scrambled upstairs and headed straight to the bathroom. I had to clean up. I stayed in the shower for a long thirty minutes, raking my fingers through my blood-caked hair under extra warm water. As I checked my forehead wounds, I felt a deep gouge. Rubbing ointment over the abrasions on my head, elbows, wrists and chest, I then bandaged up a few scrapes on my knees. Brawling with a demon had its consequences.

Transitions

Finally the weekend had arrived, and as I awoke I could see the vague outline of Kian near my bedroom window. With his form in some kind of flux between fog and skin, I rolled to my knees and stared. Wide-eyed like a deer, I must have looked like an amateur to all of this angel stuff. In a way I still felt like one. Despite everything I’d been through, I didn’t know how to defend myself from Dameon; I didn’t know enough about the angel-demon world to keep myself safe. There were so many details I still had to learn!

Hovering over my carpet in the dim morning, Kian glided toward the bed and laid his translucent hands over the wooden rail. He looked pale and wintery. As his hands became flesh, celestial wings sprawled out behind him and amber eyes shone like a newly lit fire. His angelic appearance made me forget for an instant that I had almost died yesterday.

Then I blinked and remembered.

Lunging at him, I threw my fists at him. “Where were you yesterday?” My face flushed hot red. “I could have been killed! Dameon followed me to the dance club!” I couldn’t get the words out of my mouth fast enough. “He nearly strangled me to death!” I could only hope the heated words had been muffled by the door well enough to keep from alarming Mom. “All I hear is what he called me: ‘You bitch!’” Dameon’s voice bellowed in my brain, the words I had heard as I hit my head.

Kian reached out and laid his hands on my shoulders. “Take a breath Ali. I didn’t leave you alone. I would never leave you...I sent Jacob to watch over you.”

“
Jacob?” My voice lingered between pissed and curious.

“
You haven’t met him, but you will. I trust him completely.”

“
You pawned me off to some other angel? Have you given up on me already?” I fumed irrationally. My cotton pajamas stuck to my skin.

“
No.” Kian shook his head and leaned into me. “I
had
to be somewhere.”

“
Where?”

“
Another human in danger. She would have died if I had not arrived on time.”

“
More important than me?”

“
Of course not.” Shaking his head, Kian fluttered next to me and wrapped his arms around my shaking body. “Don’t be like this.” I let my head rest against his cheek, and a feather fell from his wings.

“
Then why?” I whined.

“
Because I could help her; all the other angels would have taken too long to get there, and you were not in any immediate danger. Besides, Jacob arrived before I left. He is a strong fighter. Perhaps even better than me.”

“
Who is she?”

“
Just a human in the wrong place at the wrong time. A few muggers wanted her purse, and she fought. They pulled a knife and stabbed her. They would have killed her, too, had I not flown to her aid.”

I lowered my head, a bit ashamed of myself. Kian had a lot on his plate. He protected the city, not just me, and I had better get used to that fact. I had to share him with the city, or else who knew how bad New York could get?

His warm feathers felt like embers, not too hot or cold...just right. I basked in his presence for a minute before pulling myself away, and I really had to try hard to pull away. His milky scent and airy influence always kept me returning.

“
So, were you here the whole night...watching me?”

“
Most of the night, yes.” He blushed like he’d seen something he shouldn’t have, and the way he looked at me made my stomach swirl with nervous butterflies. “Sometimes I stayed in the skies.”

I looked up at him I responded calmly. “Well, thanks.” I bounced off the bed like a jack rabbit and headed to my closet. “So, what are we going to do today?” I brushed my fingers over the various clothes on hangers.

“
Well, I’d like to take you back to my place to meet Jacob, if you don’t mind?”

“
Mind? I’d love to!” I beamed.

“
Well then, I’ll leave you to get changed.” Flitting to the window, he vaporized in micro-seconds. My gaze stayed fixed in awe on his metamorphosis, and then I turned to the closet filled with clothes. Piles of clothes, really. At least twenty pairs of jeans, an eclectic mix of shirts, hats, boots, a few heavy coats, and many sweaters. Too many sweaters to count.

I yanked out a crimson colored hat and sweater along with a pair of blue jeans and a white wool coat. The air felt chilly yesterday, and I didn’t want to get sick. After all, I had wounds to heal from all the demon-fighting yesterday. More of a demon-beating, but I liked to think I got in a few good punches.

After showering and dressing, I took a long look at myself in the vanity mirror in my room. I saw a black and blue cheek and an obvious reddish-pink scrape on my forehead and neck. Using foundation and blush, I managed to hide my cheek bruises, and the hat and coat collar hid what the makeup didn’t. I hopped downstairs to kiss Mom and to scarf down my oatmeal before heading out with Kian.

“
Where are you going, and when will you be back?” Kian stood outside the front door in his human guise. I could see the top of his head through the door’s rectangular window.

“
I’m going out with a friend. Just hanging out nearby, and I’ll be back before ten.”

“
Ten tonight?”

“
Sure, Mom; it is Saturday. You let me go to The Edge Friday night.”

“
That was different.”

“
How?”

“
You went with your girlfriends. Girlfriends I know.”

“
Well, maybe you can meet Kian. He’s right outside.”

She inspected the top of his head through the small door-window and nodded. She walked beside me to the front door, and I swung it open with confidence. Kian smiled a welcoming smile and extended his hand to shake Mom’s.

“
Nice to meet you. I’m Kian. I go to Millennium High with Ali.”

“
You two have been hanging out a lot?” Mom fished to find out how serious our relationship really was.

“
Sometimes, Mrs. Maney.”

“
We hang out at lunch with Molly and Jen,” I told her.

“
I see.” Mom bit her lip. I knew she worried about me since she saw Dameon upstairs with me. She didn’t want me getting hurt. Losing Dad had been hurt enough. “Well, take care of my Ali while you two are out and about.”

“
Yes, ma’am.” Kian snapped to attention like a Marine.

“
And have her back by ten at the latest.” Mom sounded firm, more firmly than usual.