Only two hours to kill, Taylor thought. The time would crawl by as those “things” she said she had to do amounted to walking back to her room and laying on her bed. That would take up about five minutes.
“Who are you texting?” Christopher asked.
She had forgotten the demon was walking with them. She had actually forgotten that she was walking with anyone. “Gabriel. He’s in the library and forgot about dinner.”
“He forgot about youuuu, you mean,” Christopher joked.
Taylor didn’t find it funny. “No, Sherlock, he was being responsible and studying and lost track of time. For your information, I am meeting up with him soon.”
Sam grinned. “That’s great, Tay, I was getting worried about you. I thought you were going to kill someone at dinner, you looked so miserable.”
Taylor’s face showed genuine surprise. “I…I did? Sorry, I didn’t even realize it. I guess I wasn’t very good company.”
“That’s okay, Tay. We had fun anyway,” Christopher said, continuing to joke with her.
Not in a bad mood anymore, Taylor smiled and went on the offensive. “I saw that you were way too busy stuffing your face to have said much either. After the 13 pieces of pizza at lunch today, I thought you wouldn’t need to eat for the next few days. Be honest, Chris, are you eating for two?”
Christopher found this really funny and started laughing so hard that his sides were shaking. Inadvertently, he snorted as he was laughing, which made the whole group crack up.
They all went back to Taylor and Sam’s room to hang out before bed. Already, Taylor really liked this part of college. Making friends and having the time and freedom to get to know them was really cool. Eating, talking, laughing: those were her main responsibilities now. Oh, and a little bit of homework and school on the side, of course.
The two hours or so went by really quickly. Marla and Jennings left after about an hour to do some homework, but Chris stayed the entire time. He and Sam were really hitting it off and Taylor had to grudgingly admit that he was fun to be around. Demon or no demon, he had a good sense of humor and seemed to be a pretty nice guy. I’d better not tell Gabriel that though, she thought.
When it was five minutes before nine o’clock, she told Sam and Chris that she had to go meet Gabriel.
“I’d better get going, too,” Chris said.
“Oh c’mon, it’s still early, stay for a little while,” Sam said. There was a gleam in her eyes. Taylor had seen that look before.
Anxious to avoid walking out of the building with Chris, Taylor said, “Yeah, you guys stay and have fun, I’ll be back soon.”
Chris agreed to stay for a while, although Taylor could tell he wanted to follow her. She wondered what he would have done. Would he have picked a fight with Gabriel? Would he have tried to hurt her? She couldn’t really imagine him being violent; he just seemed to be so good-natured.
She left the room, closing the door on the way out.
Chapter Thirty-Two
As Taylor approached “our spot”, she was happy to see that he was already there waiting.
“Have fun studying?” she asked.
“No, it was awful being apart from you for that long,” he replied.
“Yeah, it only took you about five hours to think of me.” Already Taylor had lost her temper. She bit her lip, trying to gain control. Realizing that her comment made her sound needy—or even pathetic—she said, “Look, I’m not like that. I don’t need you to check in with me every five minutes or something, but after what happened at lunch…”
“You thought the demon might have done something,” Gabriel finished for her.
“Yeah, it’s just you were acting so immature…” Gabriel’s expression became defensive, his mouth poised to contradict her, his eyes flashing with anger, but Taylor rushed on. “I know, I know, Christopher was being stupid too, but you were worse, Gabe.”
Gabriel’s face fell, all fight leaving it, as his arched eyebrows caved and his fiery eyes softened. “I’m sorry,” he said. “You’re right.”
Taylor was surprised by his response. She had expected a fight, if only a half-hearted one. Not a complete surrender. “Thanks for admitting you were wrong,” she said, suddenly longing to feel his touch.
He didn’t disappoint. He took two giant steps forward, grabbing her in his arms in a bear hug. He easily lifted her off of the ground and spun her around in a romantic show of affection. Her heart smashed around in her chest, and she felt the same warm sensation she had felt earlier in the day when he had kissed her. Earlier in the day. It felt to her like it had been a lifetime ago that she had last seen him, touched him. Minutes away from him were like hours. Hours were like days. Days were like…well, she didn’t exactly know what days away from Gabriel would be like, but she hoped she wouldn’t have to find out.
Once again, she had given him control of the relationship, control over the level of passion, and control over the speed it was moving at. What would her mother say? She thought about it while Gabriel continued to hold her. Amidst all the advice about being woman-strong, independent, and opinionated, her mother had also told her to do what makes her happy. Had she really given Gabriel control, or had she just let him do what she wanted him to do? She had wanted to feel his touch, so she wasn’t really losing control. As long as she didn’t let him force her into doing anything that she didn’t want to do, then she was being independent, strong, in control.
Gabriel released her and said, “Want to go for a ride?” This was another thing that she wanted, that she would let him do to her. She nodded, her eyes giving away her excitement, as they gleamed with anticipation.
Clutching her in his arms he ran at angel speed. They were out of sight from the campus in mere seconds and then they were airborne. The thrill of flying had not diminished from the first time around. He yelled, “Hang on!” as he flipped her up onto his back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and locked her hands together.
It felt like she was lying on a down blanket; it was incredibly soft and warm nestled in between his two wings. On either side of her she could feel the gentle undulations of his extra appendages rolling up and down, overcoming the pull of gravity. She now knew what it was like to be a bird. And it was wonderful.
She wasn’t surprised when he began circling over the football stadium. It was a great spot where they could be alone and he could be his true self.
Gabriel landed high above the football field, twisting his body so he could pull her back out in front of him. Like a groom carrying his new bride across the threshold, he walked her over to where they had sat the last time they were there, out of the wind and out of sight.
As he set her down softly, Taylor felt a remarkably strong urge to be close to him, to feel his body against hers. She always knew that she was heterosexual, but Taylor had never felt an attraction like this for any of the boys in her high school. Although she hoped he felt the same way, she worried that he didn’t. This didn’t stop her from curling up close to him, her hands touching his hard chest, his broad shoulders, and finally resting intertwined with his fingers.
He kissed her and again she found her hands exploring his body. She wanted him and she could tell that he wanted her, too. Gabriel rolled onto his back and she followed him, her body on top of his. They kissed again and again, each of them releasing soft sighs of satisfaction as the moon rose high in the sky. It was just another thing that she wanted him to do. She was in complete control.
Chapter Thirty-Three
“Level with me, man. What’s going on here?” Christopher had been trying to get information from him for twenty minutes with no luck.
“Nothing. I just like her. I like the girl,” Gabriel replied.
“That’s a load of crap. It is no accident that we are both at the same school watching the same girl. And she has a name.”
“I know she has a freakin’ name, man. She’s my girlfriend.”
“Yeah, right. She’s your target, nothing mo
re.”
“Oh, yeah? If you’re so smart, then what are you doing with Samantha?” Gabriel asked.
“Look, I didn’t expect to get serious with any girls here. It just sort of happened and I like it, but that has nothing to do with Taylor. I’m not the one pretending to date the one.”
“I’m not pretending! It just sort of happened for me too!”
“Oh, so if she broke up with you tomorrow, you would just leave her alone?”
“No, I would try to get her back….because I like her,” Gabriel replied.
“Look, man, I’m taking a big chance just talking to you like this. I’m trying to give you the benefit of the doubt, but if you’re not being honest with me…”
“Then what? What are you gonna do about it?” Gabriel pushed him.
Christopher glared at him. “I’ll have to kill you.”
“Is that right?” Gabriel said, pushing him again.
“Don’t do this, Gabe.”
“You’re not gonna do a damn thing about it,” Gabriel replied. When he attempted to push him again, Christopher grabbed his arm with his left hand, while simultaneously jabbing with his right fist. He was quick, but Gabriel was quicker, blocking the attack and sweeping his leg in a karate-style kick. Chris went down hard, grunting in pain. Gabriel intertwined his fingers into a two-fisted club and slammed them into Chris’s chest. He followed it up with four jabs to Chris’s face.
Gabriel stood up. “I should kill you now,” he said.
Chris was hurting, but his demon body was already repairing itself; the air came back into his lungs, his sore muscles strengthened, and his bloody nose dried up. “Go ahead, at least you will show who you really are. Instead of the filthy lie you’ve been living.” He stood up. “What are you waiting for, do it!”
Gabriel stared at him, his muscles tensed. His breathing was heavy and his face red with rage. After ten seconds, his body relaxed and the color left his cheeks. “Consider this proof that I really care about Taylor. If I didn’t, I would have no problem hurting her best friend’s boyfriend…Tearing you limb from limb.” Gabriel stalked off, leaving Chris to puzzle over the truth of the angel’s words.
Chapter Thirty-Four
The desk flipped over and tumbled to the floor with a crash, having been wrenched from the floor and the wall, where it had been attached for safety and security. His tirade had lasted for ten minutes and there wasn’t much left in his room to destroy. Besides, if he kept it up, one of his neighbors was bound to complain about the noise.
When had life become so damn difficult? He sat on the floor—having flipped his bed and mattress over during his tantrum—and put his head in his hands. The answer to his question was easy, and he knew it. But for some reason, he thought that speaking the answer out loud, or even in his mind, would somehow give power to it, allowing it to destroy him. Even so, denial was unhealthy.
He gritted his teeth and growled, “Since I met her.”
Life used to be easy. Work hard, seek power, seek fame, and if you’re lucky, kill a few demons along the way. But ever since he had heard Dionysus’s plan, something had been eating him from the inside, a relentless cancer, hell-bound on recreating him. At least that’s how he’d thought of it until now. But that was just another example of his denial.
Gabriel’s parents were inherently good—his mom an angel, his dad a human. They taught him to seek to help people, to protect humans—and to fight demons. So that’s what he had done all his life; that is, until the Council had sent him on this mission to abduct the girl, Taylor. All for the sake of a plan that centered on the destruction of the human race.
“ARGHHHH!” he roared.
Why couldn’t he make sense of it? And now he had the dark one asking him questions. Questions he didn’t know the answer to, or was afraid to think about. All he knew was that he felt a connection with Taylor. That his life felt inexplicably tied to hers, in a way.
He had time. His powerful speech to the Council had bought him some time. To think. To analyze. To come to his senses, maybe. All he could do was explore his feelings for Taylor and see where they took him. And when it came time to make a decision, he would, even if it was a hard one.
Gabriel realized that he had continued to grit his teeth as he thought and now they ached from the friction. His cell phone rang. It was Taylor. He smiled for the first time in hours.
Chapter Thirty-Five
She was sitting on the grass, like before. Except today was sunny, not rainy. The lawn was packed with other students enjoying the weather. Next to her, Sam was lying on her back, reading a large textbook. Something about Renaissance artists for one of the classes they had together. Taylor would read it later. Now, she poked and prodded at the recently cut blades of grass. She still wanted to find that elusive clover, the one with four flippers.
Surely the one that Gabriel had found for her didn’t count—couldn’t count—not really. She needed to find it on her own. Plus, she had destroyed Gabriel’s clover. Unease had grown within her, bigger than before, like a genetically modified pumpkin, bulging and round. But she had Gabriel, so why was she feeling this way? The only answer she could come up with was the missing clover and so, she searched.
An hour later she still hadn’t found it. Samantha was asleep, the book resting on her chest.
“Mom?” Taylor whispered. “Are you there?”
Dread filled her. Not the answer she was looking for. A single tear dripped from her eye. What was wrong with her? She was in love and feeling horrible! It was not the way that all the sappy romantic movies that she hated so much made it out to be. Love was supposed to make everything better.
Coincidentally, she gritted her teeth at the same time that Gabriel was gritting his own. Suck it up, she commanded herself. Stop feeling sorry for yourself! And stop depending on some stupid clover for happiness.
She retrieved her phone from her backpack and dialed his number.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Two months later.
Taylor was happier than she had ever been before. The semester was more than halfway finished and her life seemed to be perfect. She spent most days going to class, having lunch with her friends, walking hand in hand with Gabriel around campus, and lying in the grass studying with him. Her grades were looking good, her love life was unbelievable, and her relationship with Sam was better than ever.
Her mind wandered to the feelings of dread she had experienced just a couple of months earlier. Those feelings seemed silly now, and yet, from time to time she still felt them. Perhaps her good gut, as her mom had called it, was out of order, or required maintenance. For the most part, she was able to ignore the negative feelings and focus on the good things that were happening in her life, and over time, the negativity had waned, giving her a sense of peace.
She was lying in the grass now, her head resting on Gabriel’s chest. Enjoying the benefits of living in a warm weather climate, she was wearing her favorite pair of well-worn jean shorts, a lime green tank top, and bare feet, her flip-flops kicked aside haphazardly. Her defeated tattoo was facing up, her skin well-tanned around the dark edges of the serpent. More than sixty days had passed since her last snake nightmare, the one in which Gabriel slew the hideous monster, and Taylor had stopped counting. After a month she had started wearing clothing that showcased the tattoo again. After two months she added a second tattoo, this one around her ankle: another inky snake, but this one’s red eyes were closed—not sleeping, but lifeless—revealing only its dark black eyelids. The newly etched serpent was strung up on a sword, pierced in four places, like an exceptionally long piece of meat on a kabob. Her dad was not going to be happy when he found out. But she didn’t care. She was being true to herself.
Her thoughts turned to one of her happiest memories: that night with Gabriel high above the football stadium. Their bodies had remained together, like perfect puzzle pieces, for hours that night. She had wanted to tell him that she loved him, but couldn’t find the courage. P
lus, four days seemed like far too short a time to be saying those three dangerous words. But he had surprised her yet again by whispering, “I love you, Taylor,” as they lay together.
Without hesitation, she had said, “I love you, too.”
Since that night, they had had so many wonderful days together, sometimes doing fun things with their group of friends, like seeing movies, playing games, or just hanging out. Other days, they just spent time with each other, talking and laughing. Sometimes there was less talking. She didn’t mind those days at all either.
Gabriel was very interested in her childhood and her family. She told him everything, opening up to him like she had never done with anyone before, even Sam. She told him embarrassing things, like the time she laughed so hard in the third grade that she peed her pants. Or the time that she got three days of detention for slapping a boy on the playground because he had gotten fresh with her. To avoid getting in trouble, she had told her parents that she was selected to be part of an after school learning group for gifted children and that she would be home late from school. She got away with it until her brother ratted on her, which led to her being grounded for a month and her hating James for twice that long.
James, she thought. Why did she have to go to the same school as him? Annoyingly, he had found out that she had a college boyfriend and he notified Eddie immediately, like she was committing a crime. This led to painful phone calls where her father tried to get her to tell him about Gabriel without him showing that he knew she was seeing someone. She refused to tell him, answering his questions as vaguely as possible.
Finally he gave up and was honest with her, informing her that he knew about her boyfriend from James. Taylor gave him a hard time about it, telling him she didn’t appreciate him enlisting her brother to spy on her. Eddie turned it around though and made her feel bad by using the dad card: how she was so important to him and that he just wanted to make sure that she was okay. Making a big mistake, Taylor forgave him and then, thinking he had been granted access to her personal life, Eddie began to ask her embarrassing questions like, “You and Gabriel are being safe, right, Taylor?”