Branded

  He only flashed me a smile before he turned his attention to setting the table. I was overwhelmingly grateful for how intent he got when he was doing his culinary thing. It would only buy me a few more minutes but hopefully that was all I would need. It was all I was going to get.

  After wheeling the trolley back inside, Alex joined me again at the table and immediately set to serving the food. I couldn’t even bring myself to look at what he had cooked.

  Even though I was trying to not look into his face, afraid he would see past the careful façade I was putting on, I couldn’t help but marvel at him. He had never looked so stunning then he looked wearing black trousers and a black dress shirt. He had just shaved before he started making dinner, his face perfectly smooth and his skin as close to flawless as it could be and still be human.

  But it wasn’t just the amazing exterior of this man that made me love him so much. If he knew what was truly going on right now I could only imagine what he might do.

  And I knew he would do it in less than a heartbeat because it would be for me. No wonder I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this man.

  My heart gave a shuttering crack, knowing that was exactly how it was supposed to go tonight and now knowing that it was never going to happen.

  He finished filling two tall glasses with something bubbly and handed one to me. He lightly touched his glass to mine then raised it just slightly.

  “To a perfect day,” he said softly with a smile.

  I raised my glass a fraction and could only manage a smile before taking a sip of the sparkling cider. Thankfully my hands had managed to stop shaking enough for Alex not to notice.

  Still not fully realizing what I was eating, I forked something into my mouth. I didn’t taste anything but the texture seemed leafy. Just as I swallowed I felt the light brush of invisible feathers against my left arm. It took everything I had to not scream and jump away.

  Alex seemed content to stay quiet as we ate our meal but unfortunately he seemed to want to stare into my face all night long. Under normal circumstances I would have loved the fact that he would want to but tonight it simply meant that I could not slip even for a moment.

  As the meal progressed, I could feel the pressure of what I knew was coming and what I had to stop. I could only assume Alex would try and propose soon after we finished eating and we were now about to start dessert. My breathing came in shorter, shallower gasps as the minutes ticked by and the world felt tippy and unsteady. I was sure it had nothing to do with the fact that we were on a boat.

  “Are you alright, Jessica?” Alex asked quietly as he looked sincerely into my face. “You look a bit pale and you’ve seemed really quiet all through dinner.” Here we go, I thought to myself.

  “Actually I’m feeling a little off again. I guess I haven’t completely kicked this thing yet,” I said, trying not to lie as much as I dared to.

  Alex gave a half smile, as he set his spoon down. “Ya, I guess we probably did a little too much today considering.

  I’m sorry. I should have thought about that a little more.” I shook my head, feeling a sheen of sweat breaking out on my forehead. My hands suddenly felt incredibly clammy.

  “No, it’s fine.”

  Alex’s brow furrowed a bit as he looked at me closely.

  “Maybe you should go lay down for a bit,” he said, his voice full of concern.

  I felt a pair of cold, inhumanly strong hands settle on my shoulders, much too close to my neck for comfort. I was going to have to be careful. Alex apparently could already see some change coming over me.

  “I think that might be a good idea,” I managed to whisper, not meeting his eyes.

  Alex nodded and stood, grabbing two of the plates from the table. “Why don’t you go ahead and lay down and I will be down as soon as I get everything cleaned up?”

  “No!” I half squeaked as I felt Cole’s hands tighten on my skin. “I mean, I think it might be best if I’m alone for a while. My head is kind of pounding so I think I’m just going to turn the lights off and lay in the quiet for a while.” I could see two flashes of disappointment cross Alex’s face. The first I could tell was just because I was refusing the only kind of help he knew how to offer. The second was a deeper, resolved sense of disappointment. He was realizing that a proposal tonight was not how he wanted it to happen. He would want everything to be perfect, not with me feeling sick and acting distant.

  “Alright,” he said. I could tell he was trying to sound positive. “Let me know if you need anything.”

  “Thank you,” was all I could say.

  A slim feeling of relief washed through me as I walked down a set of incredibly narrow stairs to the bedroom. The task Cole had assigned me was completed. I had acted as normal as possible, prevented Alex from proposing, and was headed to bed alone.

  I could bear whatever Cole might have in store for me now so long as Alex was safe.

  My body felt numb as I walked into one of the luxurious, but tiny, bedrooms. The door closed quietly behind me but not by my hands. Beads of sweat formed on my brow as I stood frozen.

  The still invisible hands rested on either side of my bare forearms, slowly sliding up till they rested on either side of my neck. I felt the air rustle slightly as he breathed into my hair and felt his lips trail lightly against my ear.

  “What do you want?” I barely managed to whisper.

  “Why are you here?”

  “The answer to that question is the same thing,” he said in a low voice. His right hand trailed from my neck, down my arm again, all the way down to my hip where he paused. “You.”

  My blood seemed to chill and come to a standstill as his words penetrated into my system. Of course that was why he was here. In truth I had known that all along. I had simply been unwilling to see it. What else could the reason possibly have been?

  “Now,” he continued, his right hand returning to a less insistent spot on my arm. “It’s been a long day for you.

  Why don’t you lie down and get some rest?”

  He didn’t wait for a response from me as he started pushing me toward the king sized bed. But even as he did so I felt myself hit a wall, everything I had been dealing with falling before me like a pile of bricks and I couldn’t move past it. I was exhausted and my body was going to refuse to deal with any more tonight. I was going to have no choice but to sleep. My body was shutting down.

  I could tell I wasn’t thinking straight when I didn’t feel afraid as I lay down on the expensive feeling bed. There was so much to be afraid of. For simple starters, I was always afraid to sleep. Secondly, I had a demented angel lying down next to me and he had threatened my life multiple times tonight. And he had admitted the reason he was here was for me. And thirdly, I still had no guarantee that Alex would be safe while I slipped into hell.

  No, I wasn’t thinking straight. The fear that was so familiar as of lately wasn’t coming. I only wanted to sleep.

  I didn’t have to wait for more than a few seconds.

  The bars that held me captive felt like a welcome home but I could not figure out why they felt so safe at the moment. I knew there was something I needed to hide from, something out there waiting for me beyond the normal of the terror of the trials. It sat at the edge of my mind, looming like a shadow that refused to reveal its true ugliness.

  Adam’s face was a welcome sight when he started walking down the tunnel toward me. While his face was never friendly, it at least was not frightening. His steely gray eyes held my own and I suddenly wondered why he had yet to go through a trial of his own. Why did he have to wait so long? I couldn’t imagine he would be granted black eyes once he did finally make that closing step.

  As he opened my cage and wrapped the golden cord around my wrists the feelings of comfort were erased and replaced by a surge of panic. I couldn’t go out into the cylinder. There was something out there that I could not face, something terrible.

  Adam’s face remained expressionless as he pulled me t
o my feet and started tugging me down the tunnel toward the light. A small whimper slipped from my lips as I tried to plant my feet and refuse to move. It took him only one tug to make me stumble forward and get my feet moving.

  “Please,” I begged, my voice sounding muffled through the bag that covered my head. “Please.” This yielded no reaction and no response. Again I tried to stop, to drag us in the opposite direction but Adam pulled again on the golden chain. This time as I was yanked back toward the exit of the tunnel the chain dug painfully into my wrists. I didn’t care though. I couldn’t go out into the cylinder.

  My muffled sobs grew louder and more hysterical as we neared the end of the tunnel and I had struggled against Adam’s sure strength so much my skin had turned raw where the chain dug into it. A few small slashes had formed around them; tiny drops of blood smearing on my skin.

  I gave one final plea as we erupted from the end of the tunnel onto the catwalk and knew it was too late. I couldn’t go back once I was out here. There was never any going back.

  Once he was sure I was in my place in the center of the narrow stone bridge, Adam turned and walked back into the dark safety of the tunnel, leaving me to face what I knew was coming.

  I stood frozen, tiny drops of blood dripping down to my feet, my eyes transfixed on one of the elegantly carved stone chairs. I didn’t bother to look around when I heard the rustling of wings and felt the air stir. I could not look away from that one seat.

  A few all too short moments later, a glorious and perfect form settled into that seat and eyes blacker than night stared back at me.

  I could not force any air in or out of my lungs as I beheld Cole’s glorious form. It was as if I’d had a veil over my eyes every time I had looked at him before and only now was I seeing him clearly. His face was so gloriously beautiful and perfect it brought tears to my eyes and I felt my body go numb. It was difficult to make my brain comprehend it fully, the perfect form of his bare chest, the defined lines of his arms, the strong set of his chin. But the intensity of those black eyes, they burned into me with unstoppable force.

  It took me a moment to register the dark smile that spread on his lips as he too seemed unable to look away from my face.

  Despite my inability to look at anything other than Cole, I could feel the agitated state that hung in the air.

  Something was upsetting the other council members, upsetting them enough to distract them from their one single task of the trials. I had no doubt the reason was the more-than-man staring back at me.

  The trial began and only when I heard the heckling laughter from below me rising did I finally snap out of my state of numbness. The full realization of everything that had happened hit me in the gut with incredible force.

  Cole was indeed the escaped angel. He was the leader of the condemned. There was no denying this as I now looked upon him, seated in his position of power. The council members held their positions for a reason. The exalted members had lead lives of purity and goodness, far better than the average person could even attempt to lead.

  The condemned members had lead lives of murder, deceit, adultery, and every other despicable act one could and could not think of. And Cole was their leader.

  “What do you want?!” The scream erupted from my throat with a shrill force that would have surprised me if I hadn’t have been in such a fury. “Leave me alone! Make it stop!”

  A look of shock crossed most of the council member’s faces as they watched my erruption. They glanced around at each other, each seeming to wonder exactly what to do.

  Twisted laughter ricocheted off the walls and hundreds of fingers pointed at me as I struggled with the golden cord that bound my hands. Blood dripped faster and faster to the floor as I fought against the beautiful but deadly cord.

  Two angels landed on either side of me and I barely even noticed one had blue eyes and the other black. They each took hold of one of my arms and forced me to straighten and face the council. I continued to scream and thrash but the leader of the exalted only proceeded with the trial.

  The entire council seemed unsure of what exactly to do with themselves as they squirmed in their seats, looking anxiously back and forth occasionally from me to Cole.

  When the trial started to come to a close I had no idea of what the outcome was going to be. I didn’t care. I simply wanted to get out of there, to get away from Cole’s smug smile and penetrating eyes.

  “Down,” said one council member.

  “Up,” said another.

  The next few took quite a long time as they considered where whoever it was I stood trial for was to be sent. There were four up’s and four downs. My screams turned to more of a whimper as I considered what would be coming if this person were to be condemned.

  Cole and the other condemned council member gave their verdicts. It seemed it should have been impossible but the screams came out of me with a new intensity and ferocity as I fought with everything I had to get away from the grasps of my two captors.

  With a powerful burst of his wings, Cole launched from his seat toward the catwalk. As he landed, I fought with every ounce of strength I had to fall off the catwalk but to no avail. Surprisingly though, Cole waved my captors away and they flew back to their positions on the stairwell.

  Cole’s black eyes locked with my own and my screaming and thrashing ceased. It was nearly impossible to look away. I felt as if my entire soul were being sucked out of my own eyes and drawn into his.

  I did not even notice how Cole was standing only inches away from me or how the council squirmed all the more, a few quiet protests coming from their direction.

  “This is all going to end soon you know,” Cole whispered, his voice surprisingly gentle. “The number of trials you must stand in for are limited. When it is time for your own branding, I can make sure it isn’t as bad as it could be.”

  He raised a hand, reaching under the sack over my head and smoothed his thumb over my cheek, his expression surprisingly gentle and he continued his intense gaze.

  I was vaguely aware that another angel had landed next to us and that Cole had reached for the red-hot rod. He placed a hand on my shoulder and with next to no effort, made me bend and get on my hands and knees. My mind seemed to be on a standstill as the hair fell away from my neck.

  The breath caught in my throat as the scream tried to escape when the iron was pressed into the back of my neck.

  My vision went black for several seconds and my head spun violently as the pain ripped through me. My arms and legs refused to work anymore and I collapsed onto the cold and bloodied stone. The only thought that processed was pain and that I wanted to die right then and there.

  A pair of firm but gentle hands raised me to my feet and my vision slowly returned. It remained unfocused however and my head lolled slightly from shoulder to shoulder.

  “Judgment has been placed,” I heard a beautiful voice say; though I could not make my eyes find the source of it.

  My skin crawled for a moment before I could feel the flesh tearing in my back. The beautiful wings that I loathed erupted forth but this was nothing compared to the pain that was radiating from the back of my neck.

  I did not even hear the laughter from the condemned ones, though I knew it was there, but I did see them spring from their seats and launch themselves toward us.

  Before they were even halfway there, Cole wrapped his arms around me and tipped us over the side of the walkway.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  When I woke it wasn’t just my neck that hurt. My entire body felt as if it had been hit by a semi-truck, pulled through gravel mixed with shards of glass, and then dropped off a ten story building. My head throbbed so fiercely it felt as if a few of those shards of glass had to be protruding into my skull. As my brain sorted out all of the pain, my stomach heaved and I just managed to roll to my side, the contents of my stomach shooting into a bucket that was unexpectedly on the floor.

  With a sharp intake of breath, I rolled back onto my
back. Every movement sent raw new shots of pain pulsing through my very veins.

  It took me a few moments before I realized I didn’t know where I was and I felt sure I was not in the same place I had been when I’d fallen asleep last. Opening my eyes as little as possible, I looked at my surroundings.

  There was very little light in the room. There did not appear to be any windows and the only light that did come into the room streamed in from a door that was open on the far wall. The room seemed to be bare of anything besides the bed I was lying on and a simple wooden kitchen chair.

  As far as I could tell the walls were plain white, I couldn’t see the floor.

  “The time I first saw you,” I heard Cole’s voice at the foot of the bed and watched as he stood, then took a seat on the chair. “I knew I had to have you. It was so strong, the drive, it nearly drove me mad.”

  I glared at Cole, sitting so relaxed with one ankle crossed over the other knee. I had never truly hated anyone in my life but hate could not even come close to being the right word for how I felt about Cole.

  “It should have been easy to find you, for us to be together. Had you been the person who was on trial I should have simply had to go into the depths of hell and look for you. There wouldn’t have been anywhere for you to hide.

  But when I saw you I knew there was something different.

  You were so frightened and yet you seemed to know exactly what to expect. None of the other council members seemed to notice you were not who you were supposed to be. But I knew something was wrong as soon as I looked into your beautiful face.”

  My body started shaking as hate and disgust flooded through me. I wanted to make him stop. I didn’t want to hear what he was saying, to know the full truth of how he had come after me from a reality that should not have been real.

  “It was then that I decided I had to have you for myself. It took me a little while but I figured out a way to follow you back into the world of the living. It was so strange, being back. The world has changed a lot since I last walked it. I suppose a lot should change in a few hundred years.”