"Sweetie, I'm going to head out with the Harrisons," my mom said, coming up to give me one last hug. "You guys have fun, but stay safe," she added, giving Mark a stern look. "No drinking and driving. Got me?" She asked, addressing the last part to him.
"Yes ma’am," Mark said solemnly. "We're just going to hang out at my house watching movies and stuff."
My mom raised her eyebrows at his phrasing.
"I mean, not stuff like that, I meant games and stuff…," Mark said, trailing off as his face paled.
I giggled as he buried himself deeper and deeper. "She's teasing you Mark," I said, finally swooping in to save the day. She knew where I stood on the whole sex issue. I had promised that I intended to wait, and truthfully, after all the drama lately, it left little opportunity for us to do much more than make out a few times. Not to mention, our Archangel made a pretty handy chaperone, since it just felt wrong to fool around too much with him around.
The sun had set by the time we arrived back at Mark's house. Everyone piled into the house laughing as Sam struggled to carry her piñatas on her own. Shawn finally showed her some mercy and carried three of them in for her. Their antics made me smile, but I had plans of my own as I tugged on Mark's hand, dragging him toward the path that would lead us to the back patio. "Let's sit by the pool for a little while," I said, craving some alone time with him.
"Sounds good to me," he said, pulling me under the crook of his arm as we made our way along the crushed seashell-strewn path. "Did you have fun tonight?" he asked, pulling me onto one of the chaise lounges with him.
"It was one of the best days of my life," I said, snuggling up against his chest.
He slipped his arms around my midriff, pulling me even closer, anchoring me in place by lacing his fingers together.
"I'm glad," he said, pressing a light kiss on the side of my neck, making me shiver with pleasure. Chuckling softly, he did it again, but this time he tasted my sensitive skin with the tip of his tongue. Letting out a purr of pleasure, I rolled my head to the side to give him better access.
"If there were such things as vampires, I could totally see their fascination with necks," he said in a smoldering voice as he placed another searing kiss on my neck. Twisting around, I tangled his hair in my fingers, pulling him toward me. This time he groaned against my lips as I used the tip of my tongue to trace the outline of his full lips. Mark's fingers grazed over my flat stomach, inching my shirt up slightly to caress the sensitive skin there. Losing myself in the heat of the moment, I shifted closer to press against his hard muscular body. His lips left a trail of fire along my neck as he placed a deep kiss on my collarbone. His hands slid further up my stomach, grazing my ribcage, making me burn with a fire that only his touch could extinguished. Dragging his lips to meet mine, he pulled back slightly letting my own insistent hands slide under his polo shirt. I sighed with pleasure as I felt his lean rippled muscles under my fingertips. I inched my fingers around his bare back trying to pull him even closer. I sighed in irritation when the arm of the chaise lounge dug into my ribs, hindering my movement.
Chuckling softly against my lips, Mark dropped the back of the chaise lounge down in a few deft movements and flipped our positions so that I was now lying under him with every blissful part of him sprawled on top of me, never once taking his lips from mine. This time, I sighed in pleasure as my hands traveled up his lean back, making his shirt ride up in the process. Finally breaking the kiss, Mark gave into my tugging and pulled the hem of his shirt up revealing his golden skin underneath. He tossed the shirt onto the end table beside us, pulling me back in for another mind-blowing kiss. His skin was warm to the touch as my hands explored the hard planes. Lifting slightly, he ran his own hand under my shirt, moving purposefully toward its destination. My insides screamed as his fingertips grazed the lace on my bra. He used his other hand to slide my shirt up while he buried his face in my neck.
"Um, Krista, Mark," a tentative voice said, breaking into my haze. I pulled my kiss-swollen lips from Mark's, turning my head to see a flustered Sam standing by the patio doors. Blushing, I pulled the hem of my shirt back down, covering up my exposed skin. "Sorry to interrupt guys, but we think you need to come in," she said quietly, looking scared.
Alarmed at Sam's expression, Mark and I both jumped to our feet at once. Mark tugged his shirt back on and we followed Sam into the house.
Everyone was sitting on the couches, while Haniel stood in the center of the room, looking graver than I had ever seen him.
"The time you have been waiting for has begun," Haniel said simply, like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. "Your father has been a very busy man over the last few weeks," he said to Mark, but looking at all of us as a whole. "He has done the unthinkable. He has murdered more of our Guides and Protectors."
Chapter 13
"You mean other than our parents?" Sam asked, trying to make sense of his words.
"Yes, other than your parents. Until now, only one Guide has died by his hand," Haniel said gravely. “The rest died by the hands of Daemons led to our Guides as a result of the Dark Angel’s betrayal.”
"Why, why is he doing that?" Mark demanded, appalled.
"He is slaying them because each death makes him stronger. The murder of your parents earned him favor and power from The Dark One for his traitorous behavior. We have known for quite sometime that his ultimate plan was to recruit Guides and Protectors, choosing only to kill those that refuse his demands."
"Then why the Hell didn’t you stop him?" Mark asked, horrified at what his father was doing. I laid a restraining hand on his arm trying to calm him, but he shook it off, stepping closer to Haniel. "Why didn't you stop him?" His anger-laced voice sounded nothing like my Mark.
"We tried. We set a trap, hoping to lure him out. That is where my responsibilities lay last week, preparing the band of Guides and Protectors for battle. We foresaw him plotting his attack and planned accordingly. The Dark One, however, fed him the knowledge he needed to attack when we were least expecting it. He wiped out the entire band in one swoop. All eight are dead," Haniel said, hanging his head.
"Why is he searching for Guides and Protectors to kill when he has two at his disposal? Or did he already murderer them too?" I asked, suddenly horrified for the two that belonged in our band, but had been snatched from us.
"He will not kill those two. He has a greater purpose for them both," Haniel said.
"Like what?" Lynn asked.
"I cannot say," Haniel said vaguely.
"How did he ambush them?" Sam asked quietly.
"He killed them in their sleep while they dreamed of each other. He used their connection against them."
Tears sprang to my eyes and silently rolled down my cheeks as the implications hit me. Innocent celestial beings were murdered while they were lost in each other's arms in their dreams, and now the man who haunted my own nightmares was more powerful than before.
"Why does the murder of celestial beings make someone stronger?" Shawn asked, standing behind Sam with his hands on her shoulders giving her comfort through his touch. I yearned for Mark to hold me the same way, but his body language made it clear he didn't want to be touched.
"Normally they do not. In this case, Victor is being rewarded by The Dark One for the deaths of those that stand against him. He is using him as a catalyst to win the battle for Earth's souls."
"Why doesn't God just strike him down?" Sam asked, voicing my own question.
"To strike him down would start the war that ends the world. He has the protection of The Dark One on his side. If The Light were to strike him down himself, the celestial realm would open, allowing The Dark One to release his vengeance on humanity."
"That is why The Light created you," he said, indicating us. "You can stop him and delay a battle between Heaven and Hell before humanity is ready for it. Some day that battle will be inevitable, but until that day, we rely on our Guides and Protectors to protect humanity."
"Where
is he now?" Mark asked in a controlled voice.
"We do not know. The Dark One has him cloaked well."
"So, he could be murdering others as we speak, getting even stronger as we stand here?" Mark asked, once again furious.
My stomach clenched not only at his words, but at his tone. I felt sick seeing him so conflicted between anger and despair. I gathered my emotions together and sent them toward him, hoping for a break in his anger.
"I have met with the other bands and ordered them here. They are safe and will be here soon. You will prepare together and you will destroy the Dark Angel before he can harm another one of mine," Haniel said possessively.
His words gave my emotions the opening they needed as Mark's anger once again shifted to despair. Pushing all that I had toward him, looking for cracks in his armor, I blanketed Mark's every emotion with my own. Watching him closely, I waited until his anger ebbed away and his body language relaxed before I approached him. Wrapping my arms around him from behind, I gave him the comfort he needed. He rested his hands on mine and leaned more fully into me.
"How many are joining us?" Robert asked intrigued.
"Two of the last three active bands," Haniel said gravely. "The last active band will stay in a secure location to protect the Guides and Protectors that are no longer on duty and the Guides and Protectors that are too young to fight. One of the bands is still intact, but the other recently lost a Guide and Protector in an unrelated assignment. They are still digesting their loss and trying to recover."
"How will we find Victor when the time comes?" Sam asked.
Haniel studied us gravely. "You will not have to seek him out, he will come on his own. You must prepare yourselves, because make no mistake, he will not be alone. Evil will be at his beck and call, Daemons will be at his disposal, making him a force to be reckoned with."
"Why try to kill us all at once instead of hunting our bands separately like he did the others?" I asked.
"We believe he used the murders of The Light's Chosen Ones to set an example. He does not wish to destroy all of you, as you learned before. His desire is for you to join him."
"Why would he believe any one of us would choose to join him?" Sam asked confused.
"Because we all have free will," I answered before Haniel could. Haniel had told me the night we talked by the pool that God left the choice to us. The idea seemed ludicrous to me that someone would choose evil over what we were destined for.
I saw my friends shift uncomfortably at my words.
"You mean one of us could turn against our family here?" Shawn asked, indicating all of us as a whole with a sweeping motion of his arms. "No way man, I just don't see it."
"It has come to pass before," Haniel said simply without looking at Mark, but his implication was clear. Not only had Victor turned on his own family, but he had orchestrated the decimation of his entire band.
"Well, I don’t care what you say, our band is solid," Shawn said with certainty.
"Then the first part of your battle is already won," Haniel said, flashing us one of his rare smiles. "We will reconvene in the morning. Pressing matters will have me away until then," he said abruptly, walking purposefully toward the patio door.
"Wow, talk about a hit and run," Sam said, breaking the tension that Haniel's words had cast over our group.
She nailed it perfectly. Haniel had come in and steamrolled us with talk about murders, Daemons, and Mark's crazy dad, then left us to deal with how to process it all. Most of the time Haniel could almost pass as a human, but at times like this he failed miserably.
Sam's comment set off a ripple effect in our group as each of us talked over one another. Maybe it was a knee-jerk reaction to ease the tension, but it took us a few moments to calm down and listen to what each of us had to say. After a few minutes, some of the fear released its grip on us and we were finally able to discuss what we had learned somewhat rationally. Mark was quiet through most of the talking, which was understandable. His father was the Devil's spawn, and I knew the knowledge of this was disheartening for him without having to read his thoughts.
Once we had exhausted the topic, it was obvious we needed a break. There was nothing we could do about the situation at that moment.
"Anybody want to watch a movie?" Sam suggested.
"Ooh, good idea," I agreed. "Let's make it like a camp out in the living room."
The guys got to work, clearing the middle of the floor, which proved to be an easy task, even though the furniture was heavy. It definitely paid to have three crazy-strong guys around. Lynn, Sam, and I gathered the snacks and everyone's sleeping bags to the now empty floor space. Mark lit a fire in the fireplace for the s'mores, while Shawn and Robert prepared the skewers of marshmallows. Within five minutes, our camp in was ready and pj's were on.
Mark loaded the first Blu-ray into the disc player. We reluctantly let the guys pick the movie, hoping they wouldn't pick something obnoxious.
"Oooh, I love this movie," I said, plopping down on my sleeping bag to watch the latest The Fast and the Furious movie on the fifty inch flat screen.
"Who doesn't?" Shawn said, sitting next to me. "Dude, you need one of those cool 3D TV's we saw at the mall last week," Shawn said in an awful Vin Diesel impersonation.
"Wow, that totally sucked. Oh wait, were you trying for the Muppet version of Vin Diesel?" Robert said from across the room, laughing at his joke.
In typical guy fashion, Shawn chucked a pillow at him, and before I knew it, an all-out pillow fight erupted in the room as each of us tried to out-do the other. Of course as lightweights, Lynn, Sam, and I didn't stand a chance. We just could not get enough oomph behind any of our throws to compete with the guys.
Our lighthearted mood was superficial as we made an unspoken pact to place our worries on the backburner. We all knew what was expected of us, and tomorrow we would be Guides and Protectors again. Tonight though, we were just goofy kids blowing off steam.
***
Haniel woke us early the next morning to prepare for the other band's arrival. Sleeping arrangements had to be made to accommodate twenty of us. It was decided ahead of time that we would be sleeping in two shifts. But even with sleeping in shifts, we needed all the additional space we could get, including the two rooms we had avoided, his father's office and bedroom.
Mark tackled his dad's office like a madman, pushing all the furnishings against the far wall with a careless attitude, slamming each item together with bone-jarring crashes. Once the heavy furnishings were moved, he tossed the heavy leather desk chair on top of the desk with one hand, scarring the deep mahogany exterior as it journeyed the length of the desktop. We didn’t question his methods and felt his attitude was justified.
His father's room though, was another issue altogether. Mark's hand paused on the doorknob, but he couldn't seem to find the inner strength to turn the knob.
"Dude we got this. Why don't you and Krista go get the supplies we're going to need?" Shawn suggested, nudging Mark's hand away from the knob. "We got this under control," he said again with emphasis, giving Mark and me a small push down the hall.
"Yeah, let's go do the shopping," I said, grateful for my brother's suggestion. I hated seeing Mark so torn up and I felt a little alone time was exactly what we needed. "You get your keys and I'll grab my bag," I told him, skipping toward my room, lighthearted at the prospect of alone time. I loved all my friends, but at times I selfishly craved the solitude of just us.
Grabbing my small purse off the bed, I slung the long slender strap around my neck so it crisscrossed my body. Carrying a purse was not a favorite of mine so I bought the most functional purse I could find. The pretty paisley print made up for its function, giving it quite the girly look and keeping Sam's negative remarks about my fashion sense to a minimum drawl. Pausing in front of the dresser mirror, I ran the brush through my hair and swiped a quick brush of lip gloss across my lips. Grimacing at my bland appearance, I finally gave up on making my reflection some
thing it wasn’t.
The ride to Walmart was quiet. At first I tried to fill the silence with mindless chatter as he drove, but when he remained silent during each attempt, I finally clammed up. I couldn't help feeling hurt that he wouldn't open up to me. Blinking away tears, I kept my eyes on the landscape that passed outside my window, struggling to keep my emotions at bay. I was crushed by the chasm that seemed to be growing between us.
We were different than the others by the fact that his father seemed destined to ruin the closeness Mark and I were supposed to share, I couldn't help thinking to myself, as I kept my eyes firmly turned away from his so he couldn't see the moisture I had to blink away.
Once we arrived at the crowded Walmart, all thoughts of having a decent conversation were out. We focused on maneuvering our buggies between whiney kids begging for toys, harassed parents trying to get their weekly shopping done, and elderly people scooting along on their motorized vehicles.
Our conversation strictly consisted of short sentences.
"Grab a couple extra tubes of toothpaste," I told him, while I threw several packages of toilet paper into the buggy.
By the time we loaded up one of the buggies with air mattresses, blankets, sheets, toiletry items, and extra towels, I was sick of the store.
Still needing actual food items, we headed over to the perishables section of the store. I threw soda, chips, deli lunch meat and all the fixings for sandwiches into the cart without hesitation, hoping to escape the confines of the store as quickly as I could.
The back of my foot was run over twice by shoppers not paying attention and I had to put a restraining hand on Mark's arm when a guy around our age dropped a two liter bottle of soda on my foot and didn't acknowledge it at all. "It's fine," I said, bending down to pick up the offending bottle of Mountain Dew and placing it back on the shelf.
Needless to say, by the time Mark pulled out of the parking lot, I wasn’t feeling overly thrilled about the store.