I HADN’T SEEN SEAN in days. Was I mad? No. Not even a little. After the glimpses into his life I’d gotten recently, I accepted he was out working on whatever it was they worked on. I had no idea what they did exactly, but apparently it involved lots of traveling and guns. Mental note: frisk Sean.
Today was the day of Stefan’s going away party. I wanted to bring Sean with me, but he wasn’t back yet. I’d just have to go solo. At the moment, though, I was facing down a crisis of epic proportions. My closet was a mess. How can something so full be so empty? I couldn’t decide what to wear. Jeans? Skirt? Cute little dress? The options were staggering. Nibbling on a nail, I stared at the mess. It was supposed to snow so jeans were a definite yes. I pulled out a hoodie and put it back. Not dressy enough. I grabbed a long-sleeved purple sweater. Hmm, maybe this would work. It was clingy and soft and made my boobs look bigger. I looked sideways in the mirror. I wasn’t Betty Boop, but I looked pretty good. I’d wear the sweater. Ricki would approve. It was shaping up to be a great night.
A little later, I popped in my new Linkin Park CD and cranked up the volume. The thumping music pumped me up all the way to Dani’s aunt’s house. She had a big place outside of town and agreed to let us have the going-away party there. After all, Dani’s family hosted Stefan and wanted to send him off in style.
“Mica! Hurry up! We’re waiting for you!” Dani waved from the front porch. The sprawling house was lit warmly in welcome, and the front yard sparkled with Christmas lights. A fluffy layer of snow completed the Christmas card scene. I wished Sean was here to see it with me. Not that he’d probably be impressed; he was a guy, after all. Maybe he’d show up later. I hoped so because my heart was aching to see him.
Stefan appeared in the doorway behind Dani. He was smoking hot in a red sweater and jeans. His hair had grown out to curl up at the ends, the tips bleached by the summer sun. I would miss him but didn’t regret anything that didn’t happen between us. After the party on the fourth of July, he kept a respectful distance. I had demanded to know what Killian said to him, but he refused to explain. He just said he didn’t want any trouble so we should be friends without benefits. I didn’t mind that part of it, but the idea that Killian had butted in really pissed me off. Who did he think he was anyway?
Grinning hugely, I gave him a big hug that surprised him. He pulled back to lead me into the main room. There were already a lot of people here. I recognized Billy Powell and Don Thomas from English, and Amy Wan from my chem class. Two people I didn’t know were sitting apart from the others. One was a tall, dark-haired bear of a guy. He wore a leather jacket and oversized jeans. He looked wary and uncomfortable. The other guy was as tall but had a rangy build. He had stringy blond hair that hadn’t seen water in days. I didn’t recognize either of them. I asked Stefan if he invited them. He thought they were friends of one of Dani’s cousins. That’s strange. Before I could figure it out, Ricki and Kevin showed up and cranked up the music.
The place was packed within an hour, and I was making my rounds. The living room was so full of people dancing that I had to turn sideways to weave my way through. The regular lights were replaced with club lights. The music was loud, and the lights were flickering to the beat. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. A couple gyrating on the dance floor caught my attention. The girl was wearing a really short skirt, which was hiked up to her crotch, and the guy was taking full advantage of the easy access. Their faces were hidden by the curtain of her long blond hair. Wow—get a room, people! They were practically doing it in the middle of the crowd. Who were they? I didn’t recognize either of them. It was hard not to watch, though—my body responded with an ache that set my teeth on edge. I groaned to myself. Where was my boyfriend? This was torture. I started to turn away when a voice spoke into my ear.
“I have a message for you.”
I swung around in surprise and saw the guy in the leather jacket looming over me. I planted my feet, ready to swing at him or dodge the other way. He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. Instead of attacking me, he gripped my arm, pulling me towards the patio door. I tried to jerk my arm back, but he only dug his fingers in more deeply. I reared back to clock him with my fist, but he froze me with the point of a knife against my side.
Pinning me to the wall, he put his mouth against my ear, and whispered harshly, “Oh, stop fighting me. I’m not interested in you. I need to give you a message for your friends. Trust me. You want to hear this . . . unless you don’t care about your friends . . . You do care about them, don’t you?”
Oh crap, now what? My instincts were screaming that going outside was a bad idea, but my curiosity was peaked. What kind of message? Was this a trick? Would I go outside to find Scott Flynn and his merry band of psychopaths? I didn’t have much time to think it through as he was towing me along, and we were soon outside in relative quiet. He let me go as soon as we got to the patio. I stood with my back to the door, resisting the urge to rub my arm. I looked around warily, but we were alone.
“Okay, so what’s the big message?”
“Tell your friends to stop fucking with us or someone’s going to die.”
“What friends are you talking about?”
He barked a laugh. “Don’t play stupid with me. You know exactly who I’m talking about.” He leaned into my face like he was sharing a secret. “And here’s the thing, Mica Thomas. When I say someone, I really mean you. So don’t fuck around with me. Just give them the message and pray to your God they listen.” With that, he turned around and vanished.
“Oh, yeah? Well get in line. Everyone wants to kill me!” I yelled into empty space.
I drooped against the wall with the back of my hand across my eyes. I focused on breathing for a full minute. Breathe in, breathe out. I am not having a good year! Why does everyone want to kill me? It was starting to piss me off. Okay, there’s no reason to panic. So what if another creep wants to kill me? I rolled my eyes at the thought. It wouldn’t be the first time. This time, though, I didn’t know who the creep was. I had no idea what was going on, other than I was being used as leverage. I didn’t know if my death would stop Sean’s mission. They had work to do, and I was an added complication. I didn’t want to cause them trouble, but I also didn’t want to die. What to do? What to do?
I yanked out my phone and sent Sean a text to call me NOW. I paced back and forth for a whole minute, but he didn’t call. I hit the send button again but still no response. What if he was out of range? Damn.
Feeling silly, I looked up at the sky, and said hesitantly, “Sean? If you can hear me, come quick. We’ve got a big problem.”
I could call for Dec, but Killian said he needed Dec someplace else. I was afraid to distract them. What if they were in the middle of a fight or something? I didn’t want them to get hurt. Visions of flamethrowers flashed in my mind. I could still see Killian carrying Sean away from the fight. It would break my heart to see any of them hurt like that again. Shivering in the cold, I sat on the patio trying to come up with some options. I totally lost track of time and nearly jumped out of my skin when I sensed I wasn’t alone. Out of the corner of my eye, a light, like a flashlight, winked and then vanished again. I knew what that was!
Three shapes appeared and gradually took form as they got closer to the house lights. Framed by the shadows, Primani eyes leading the way, they moved as one taut and lethal machine. Dressed for a mission, they were spattered with something that looked like ash. All three pairs of eyes blazed with that stunning electric blue flame. It was unnerving to see the three of them together as if they had just come from some kind of battle. Their faces were rigid as they scanned the property with those terrible eyes. I wanted to run to Sean, but I was rooted in place as they focused on something over my head and behind me. I wasn’t sure if they knew I was there or not. I’d really hate to get shot before the thug could carry out his death threat.
Before I could twitch, Sean pulled me into his arms. I was so glad to see him in one piece that I hung on f
or dear life. Whoa. He was burning up and his heart was racing impossibly fast. How was he not dead?
“Oh, my God. You’re so hot!” I pulled back and scanned his skin for signs of imminent combustion.
His eyes weren’t as bright and his expression had softened to more or less human. He was calming down already.
“That’s what I hear.” He winked and dipped his head to kiss me.
It was almost a total transformation. Fascinating . . .
“You rang?” Dec showed his dimples and pushed a stray lock of hair off of his forehead. The patch of skin under his hair was the only clean space on his entire face. He looked as if he’d been dunked in charcoal. Still scratching at his head, he gestured at my arm, warning, “You might want to clean that off, darlin’.”
On cue, my forearms began to tingle. And then they started to itch. And it went downhill from there. Expecting to see a mosquito or some other creepy-crawling eating me, I brushed at my skin, smearing the ash into my pores. Within seconds, it felt like my skin was on fire.
“What is this? It’s burning me!” I was frantically brushing at my clothes. “Get it off!”
“Shit.” Sean looked down at himself before yanking my sweater over my head.
‘Sean! What the hell?” Shocked and embarrassed, I was left in jeans and a very tiny bra in front of Dec and Killian. Dec politely turned his head. Killian came closer and muttered something I didn’t understand. He picked up my arm to study the skin. It was pretty dark so I don’t know what he saw. Was it red? Blistered? It felt like it was melting off.
A couple of voices interrupted my panic, and I lurched away, intending to sprint to a handy bush for cover before someone got cute with a cellphone.
“You’re a magnet for trouble, aren’t you?” Killian shook his head with resignation and grabbed me with both hands. “Come on.”
It happened so fast. One minute I was standing on the patio, and the next I was in the bathroom in their house. I didn’t have time to feel disoriented since I was dragged into a running shower as soon as my feet hit the floor.
Outside the shower curtain, Sean yelled helpful instructions. “Just take off your clothes and wash everything with soap. Rinse a lot. I don’t think it’ll kill you.”
Normally, privacy is a good thing; however, my skinny jeans turned into plastic wrap as soon as they got wet. I pushed. I shoved. I yanked. They refused to budge. My skin burned like fire, the pain traveling wherever the water flowed. Once it reached my crotch, I lost it. Totally freaked out now, I threw the curtain back, and demanded, “Get these things off of me!”
Rolling his eyes to Heaven, he climbed in and squatted. Between my pushing and his pulling, my jeans finally slid free. We both fell backwards against the shower walls. I jumped up and frantically rubbed everything down with soap twice. When the soap was rinsed away, and I didn’t feel any fresh pain, I opened my eyes.
Sean was still with me but barely. His eyes were closed as he let the hot water run down his clothes. Clinging to every muscle in his chest and shoulders, the filthy t-shirt was clean. His black hair was pressed against his skull. He had dark circles under his eyes and a long scratch up one side of his neck. He needed to shave. The dark shadow on his jaw made him look even more dangerous than usual. His hands were a mess. There were bruises across one set of knuckles and fingernail gouges on the wrist. One ring finger looked swollen and crooked as though it were broken. He was also asleep on his feet. How long had it been since he’d slept? Was he hurt anywhere else? I couldn’t tell with all the clothes he was wearing.
I brushed my lips across his neck and wrapped my arms around his waist. In spite of his exhaustion, he curled his fingers over my hip and tucked me closer.
The sexy Irish lilt was stronger than ever when he murmured, “Don’t worry for me, darlin’. I’m indestructible, remember?”
Much later, the sun woke me when it snuck through the blinds. I stretched across the bed only to find Sean’s big, warm body lying in the way. Asleep on his side, he was facing away from me. His back was bare, but he was wearing shorts. I held the cotton material of his old t-shirt to my nose and breathed in. It smelled subtly of Sean. I stretched it over my butt, curled against him and went back to sleep.
A tickling along my cheek brought me out of a deep sleep. Snuggling closer, I wrapped my arms around Sean’s waist. He was so warm and smooth. I ran my hands over the sleek ridges of his torso, and he sucked in his breath with a jerk.
“Mica . . .” he warned.
I slid my hands over his chest and back down to his stomach. He sucked in his breath and twitched. Was he ticklish? I allowed myself a naughty smile before I tickled him on purpose, just to be sure. He convulsed with helpless laughter and struggled to keep my hands off of him, but I was relentless. We were both laughing and twisting around on the bed when he suddenly pinned me under him and held my hands over my head.
“Not so cocky now, are you darlin’?” He grinned down at me and my heart melted. That smile was devastating.
I was stuck but didn’t plan to give in gracefully. I tried to pull my hands free, but he leaned his weight against them. I tried to wriggle out from under him and he pressed his weight down. I was stuck. Stuck in the bed with Sean . . . hmm, suddenly this was not such a bad thing. Judging by the heavy weight wedged between my thighs, he was thinking the same thing. Smiling in triumph at finally getting him in the perfect position, I reached between us and wrapped my fist around the hot velvety flesh. His eyes closed in bliss. Encouraged by this reaction, I stroked him up one side and down the other, reveling in the miracle of silk covering steel. A tiny drop of moisture leaked from the tip and I instinctively swirled it over the head. The deep groan in his throat was enough to curl my toes. My heart began to thud, and his sped up to match the rhythm. I felt the beat against my chest; the vibration straight to my core. He dipped his head and kissed me. It was a long, slow, deliberate kiss that took my will away.
A loud knocking interrupted what could have been a major event in my life. I’m pretty sure I groaned in frustration, but Sean took it in stride.
“Okay, okay, we’ll be out in a minute.” To me, he said, “Come on, beautiful, there’s work to do—time to get up.”
“But . . . we can’t waste this!” Frustrated beyond human belief, I caught his cock in my hand and clutched it like a toddler throwing a tantrum in the toy store.
He sat up and patted it like an old friend. It bobbed back and forth before resting against his abs. “Trust me. It’ll get hard again. Fuck, it stands at attention every time you touch me.” He straightened my pouting lip and added, “And sometimes when I’m only thinking about you.”
The door cracked open, and Killian stuck his head inside. His expression was not friendly when he saw my flushed face and red lips. He didn’t say anything then, but I knew we’d hear about it soon enough.
It felt like déjà vu when we walked into the kitchen. Dec and Killian were already eating. They had a bowl of hard-boiled eggs between them, and a carton of orange juice on the table. One of them had set out plates for us. Probably it was Dec’s doing; he was the sweetest one of the bunch.
“Come and sit down. We’ve got food.” Dec waved a hand over the table and added, “Do you want something else? We’ve got yogurt and cereal too. Help yourself. You’re going to need some energy.” He winked at the last part.
I opted for a fat-free yogurt. Hmmm. Interesting that the fridge is stocked with nothing but healthy things. There was fruit, yogurt, eggs, fat-free milk, and all kinds of fresh vegetables. No sign of lasagna or leftover takeout food. Who cooked around here?
I sat down and sucked on the end of my spoon for a minute before I asked, “So . . . I don’t want to be nosy, but whose house is this, and where are your parents?”
Three shocked faces stared back at me. No one said a word for a long time. Sean glanced pointedly at Killian, and Killian glared back at him.
Dec burst out laughing. “Ha! I told you she
would figure it out!” To me, he said, “I wondered how long it would take you to see through us. I knew you would, smart girl!” His face lit up with an ear-to-ear grin. He was pleased with himself.
“You don’t really have parents, do you? I knew it. Why would you need parents if you’ve got superpowers and carry guns?”
Dec piped up. “Who said we have superpowers?” He rounded on Killian and Sean with completely fake indignation all over his face. “Am I the only one without superpowers?”
Sean grimaced and said, “Shut up, knucklehead.”
They were so busted. I knew the parent story was bullshit. Clearly they weren’t being supervised in this place. They ran around in camouflage and armed to the teeth, for crying out loud. Primani? Was that story true? It felt right to me, but they could be mercenaries for all I really knew. I didn’t see any evidence of angels—at least not my interpretation of angels.
Killian’s expression turned from surprise to resignation. “Fuck me. I need to think.”
He ran a hand through his hair and stood up. His broad shoulders were tense as he went over to the window. Even agitated, his movements were graceful. They all had a way of moving that was graceful and purposeful at the same time. They reminded me of hunting jaguars—lean, muscular, graceful, patient—and they were probably just as dangerous to their prey. I swallowed hard. I was pretty sure I was safe . . .
Killian spun around and jabbed a finger at me. “I warned you not to play with fire, didn’t I? But you can’t leave anything alone, can you? I specifically asked you to trust your instincts. You ignored them. Think about it! What do they tell you? What does your gut say about us?” His voice was soft, but laced with steel.
Sean and Dec flanked me, not touching me, but close enough to feel their warmth. Their expressions were neutral, giving nothing away. Killian was running the show and neither one looked at me with support. They were all waiting for me to speak. It seemed important to them. What did they want me to say?
I drew a deep breath, and said with absolute conviction, “I trust you. But I’m also wary of you. Sorry, Sean, but you too.” I started to reach for him, and he tensed. I dropped my hand to my side again. “I am afraid of you—all of you—but only because I sense your power. I know how dangerous you are.”
No response from them. Killian raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. I ground my teeth together. This wasn’t going well. I tried again.
“Okay, my instincts tell me you’re dangerous and powerful. You have a code you live by though. There are rules to your lives. I don’t believe you would hurt innocent people, and you go out of your way to keep people from finding out about you.” I paused for a minute, and added, “I believe you’re here for something really important that I don’t understand. My heart tells me you’re good men, but I really don’t know you, do I? I’m really sorry to complicate things for you. I won’t share your secrets.” My hand was itching to reach for Sean as I badly needed reassurance. I raised my chin and waited on Killian’s judgment.
He stared intently during my little speech. I hadn’t noticed anything strange, but he seemed to be reading my mind. His eyes were fathomless when I looked into them now. His thoughts were hidden from me. He seemed to come to a decision. He rolled his shoulders and did something completely unexpected.
He took my hands in his, and said simply, “Trust your instincts.” Then he squeezed my hands a little too hard and smiled tightly. “We’re more dangerous than you can imagine, but not to you.”
When he dropped my hands, I felt a relief so strong my knees buckled. I really needed a hug. Before I could move, Dec picked me up in a bear hug and swung me around in a circle.
“Welcome to the family, Mica me girl!” He sat me on my feet in front of Sean and kissed my cheek. “It looks like we get to keep you after all.”
“What am I? A stray puppy? Geez!”
Sean laughed, and quipped, “Oh, not a puppy, darlin’—just a stray human.”
Chapter 15: Angels and Demons