Gods and Mortals: Fourteen Free Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Novels Featuring Thor, Loki, Greek Gods, Native American Spirits, Vampires, Werewolves, & More (165 page)

“Hello, Gamma,” I answered excitedly.

“Hello, Claudia. I haven’t heard your voice in days, so I decided to call you and see how you are doing. Is it a good time to talk?” she asked.

“It’s fine, Gamma. I’m fine. How are you?”

“I’m fine, honey. Don’t worry about me. You will come and visit me on your birthday, won’t you?”

“Yes, of course. I’ll be there,” I said.

“Okay, honey. I just called to say hello. I’ll see you soon.”

“Good night, Gamma,” I said, and blew her a kiss through the phone.

After hanging up the phone, I completed my homework and ate dinner. I decided to head to bed a bit earlier than usual because I felt so drained. Just snuggling inside my bed was all I could think of. As exhausted as I was, though, I was fighting sleep. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t resist the need. I had no choice; my eyes were so heavy that I could no longer control them. One lid at a time, they slowly closed, and I felt my whole body relax. Please don’t dream was my last thought before I drifted off to the unknown world once again.

B
ack on the same road
, I stood there alone. I decided to sit and just wait. Why did I keep dreaming about this place? There had to be a reason, seeing as this place was consuming my dream world. Yet, what was the point of being here when I couldn’t get any answers? Would I see her, or him, again? Perhaps someone new? Not knowing what to expect was a bit frightening, but a sense of excitement began to seep through my bones as I saw someone walking in the distance. My heart was pounding rapidly; I had almost forgotten how good-looking he was.

All I could remember was this strange queasiness in my stomach, but as he got closer, I saw that it wasn’t him. This man’s features were very similar to the guy I had met before, sharing much of the same beauty. He had a similar body frame, but his hair was a lighter shade of brown, and his eyes were emerald green. I felt disappointed and saddened because he had lied to me. He had told me that he was the only one here, but seeing this new guy just confirmed that there were others. As the stranger approached, I prepared myself for rudeness, like the last guy. But instead, I was surprised by his amiable voice.

“Hello, my name is Davin,” he said cheerfully. I was relieved by the sweetness in his voice, and as I tried to remember why that name sounded familiar, he spoke again. “So you’re back.”

Back? How did he know I was here before? I wasn’t sure how to answer his question. “Honestly, I don’t know how I ended up here. The last thing I remember is falling asleep, and now I’m here.”

As I was talking, he started circling around me, eyeing me slowly and intently from head to toe. Did I say something wrong? I was starting to feel more and more uncomfortable; it seemed he was staring endlessly. Did he have to make it that obvious? He was totally checking me out. Oh my gosh! What a player. I should have known from his friendly approach. When he finally stopped, I expected him to say some stupid pick-up line, but instead, he just smiled.

I crossed my arms with irritation. “Excuse me, but are you looking for something?” I finally got the courage to ask this unnerving stranger.

His right hand was under his chin and his eyes were elsewhere in thought. He finally murmured something to himself, just loud enough that I could hear. “So you are a human after all. How is this possible?”

“Of course I’m human. What else would I be?” I snapped. “Do I have horns coming out of my head or wings behind my back?” I asked sarcastically.

His eyes fixed on me. “Ummm…,” he said with a puzzled looked on his face, as if he was searching for words. Now he looked confused.

Our conversation was getting us nowhere. I had to be direct and to the point. “Let me get this straight. If you are calling me human, then what are you?” I asked, regretting my question almost instantly, out of fear of what his answer might be.

“I’m what you would call an angel,” he said proudly, without any hesitation.

It was hard for me to take in what he had just said. Was this guy for real? Oh great, now I am stuck who knows where, and this guy thinks he’s an angel. I guess it is possible. After all, if this is just a dream, then it can be whatever I want it to be, right? People have strange dreams all the time, and they don’t necessarily have to have any meaning. Yeah, that’s all it is. All of this rambling in my head was in an effort to convince myself that I wasn’t going crazy.

“An angel?” I questioned, as if I had misheard his reply.

He just stood there, nodding arrogantly. Okay, I thought. I’ll bite. Doesn’t look like I have anywhere else to go, so why not? So I asked him the first question that popped in my head. “You have no wings. How can you be an angel?”

“You humans and your overactive imaginations,” he smirked. I rolled my eyes and prepared to listen. “Imagine us with wings,” he said. “We don’t need wings to fly or get around. There are only a few angels among us who actually have wings. Those were the angels that came long before humans.”

“Gabriel,” I named quickly. “He is a messenger angel, correct?”

“Yes, very good. I see you did your homework, but then again, everybody knows about angel Gabriel.”

I felt proud to know the name, but he just shot me down. The years of attending Sunday school did not pay off. Then I shot back with another question. “Tell me, what kind of angel are you? If memory serves me, there are three different types of angels: guardian, messenger, or avenger, right?” Confident that I had impressed him with my “angel knowledge,” I smiled proudly and stared back at him, much the way he did when questioning me being human.

“If I had a choice, I would be an avenger, but I’m not any of those. I’m different. I’m…” he paused, as if searching for the most appropriate words. None of this was making sense. “It doesn’t matter what kind of angel I am. An angel is an angel.”

He was right, I suppose. An angel is an angel, but I didn’t believe him. I quickly changed the subject as he entered my thoughts. I was hoping Davin had some insight as to who this person could be.

“Where is, ummm…?”

Cutting me off in midsentence, he said, “He is very upset that you’re here again. You didn’t take heed of his warning so he sent me. I’m the nice guy. After all, you did ask him if you could speak to a nice guy, and here I am,” he said with a big grin, obviously knowing exactly who I was referring to.

There was a cuteness about him. Something about being “the good guy” made him likeable in a non-conceited way.

“He’s mad at me?” I asked, feeling extremely disappointed.

I didn’t know why I even bothered to care. I mean, who was he to me? I told myself, I’m the one who should be mad; he lied to me. He isn’t the only one here. I wondered how many of them existed—wherever here was, as I vaguely recalled him mentioning something about a place between life and death. Why should I believe him when he had already lied to me? And again, WHY WAS I HERE?

Then that knot in the pit of my stomach started to creep back as a sense of helplessness set in. I was at a loss for words once more as I found myself questioning my presence in this foreign place. I sat down, uncomforted by Davin’s words, and curled my knees into my chest. Alone and frustrated, my eyes began to tear. A good cry now seemed appropriate.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw Davin pacing back and forth at a distance, looking extremely uncomfortable with my emotional display. Then, suddenly, he was reaching down toward me, wiping every teardrop before they could fall from my cheeks. I was perplexed by the speed at which he came toward me. Humans don’t move the way he just moved. Had he been telling me the truth all along? Was he truly an angel? It didn’t matter what he was. I was just glad that I was not alone, and his touch was comforting.

“Don’t want people down there to think it’s sprinkling,” he said in what appeared to be an effort to lighten the mood.

I looked up into his eyes, pondering his words in my mind.

“It’s a joke,” he chuckled, trying to make me laugh.

I wasn’t laughing; I wanted to give him a piece of my mind. No amount of humor was going to help this situation. I stood up quickly to turn away from him, but began to feel dizzy and almost fainted. I saw three of him. As I reached out trying to catch my balance, Davin wrapped his arms around me from behind. His strong arms were locked, holding me tight. I felt uncomfortable by his embrace, but at the same time, in this moment of weakness, I was strangely comforted by his strength.

“I’m going to be in a whole lot of trouble for this,” he whispered into my ear.

I felt a warm sensation run through my body, like when you step out into the sun from the cold. Instantly I was calmer, but confused about what was happening. I had no control over how I was feeling. Was this because of Davin, or was something wrong with me?

“Davin!” Out of nowhere, he appeared. It was him, the perfect being I had encountered in the field. “What have you done?” he demanded.

Davin dropped his arms, as if he was caught taking a cookie out of the cookie jar. He swiftly moved away from me, now keeping his distance.

“Michael, I was only trying to—”

“Silence!” he interrupted. Davin didn’t have a chance to explain. We both stiffened by the sound of his command.

Michael, like the archangel. One who is good. He was strong and powerful, a protector. What a perfect name.

“It doesn’t matter,” Michael said. “Now there is no turning back, everyone will know!” He spoke through clenched jaws, eyes glaring. I became frightened. I stared at him and realized there was fear in his eyes. Behind his anger, I saw a man, a beautiful soul looking back at me.

“I was trying to console her, and I got carried away. It’s been ages since I’ve touched a human, and I couldn’t help myself,” Davin said, shrugging his shoulders as if it was no big deal.

Human? Here we go again with the human thing. Michael glanced back my way. I blushed, turning my face away, in hopes that he didn’t realize I had been staring so intently at him.

“You need to go back,” he said softly, almost sorrowfully. He sounded very concerned.

Quickly gathering himself, he yelled, “Get her out, Davin. Now!”

“No. Why don’t you do it?” Davin argued back.

Michael replied, “You know very well that I don’t have that kind of power. I’m not a gatekeeper like you. I can’t send her back. I would do it myself if I could.”

Davin paused. He gave me a thoughtful look as he faced me with tenderness, “Do you want to go back?”

As soon as Davin asked me, Michael shook his head and rolled his eyes.

Did I have a choice? Did it matter what the choice would be? What did they mean by having power? And what was a gatekeeper? While focusing solely on Davin, afraid to look at Michael for fear of disapproval, I shook my head no. I did not want to leave. I was fascinated by their being. And frankly, at this point, I had Davin on my side. I didn’t care what Michael thought.

Davin turned to Michael after I responded with the answer Davin wanted to hear. “Michael, aren’t you a bit curious as to how a human found a way to cross over from Crossroads? Besides, you asked for my help. I think we should take her to Phillip.”

Michael, looking quite upset, paused and responded carefully, “I don’t understand it myself, but you know the risk we’re putting her in. Do you realize what this means?”

“I know. I know,” Davin replied, embarrassed at being scolded for doing something he knew very well he wasn’t supposed to do. Looking at me, he said, “Now the fallen will be after her.”

For a brief second, I felt my breath stop short as I replayed what Davin had said. Now the fallen will be after her. I gaped back and forth, from Michael and then to Davin, as I listened carefully to their conversation, contemplating what I should say. I already knew why Michael didn’t want me to stay. All I could mutter was “fallen.” I wondered who they were and why they would be after me. What did I do? Without warning, Michael and Davin placed their arms around me, and we were in the air.

“Ahhhhh! Oh my God!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. “You’re flying. I’m flying! What’s going on? How is this possible? Where are we going?”

“Sunday school sure didn’t pay off for you. Don’t you know your Ten Commandments? Thou shall not take the Lord’s name in vain?” Davin replied with a smirk. “Are you human girls always this dramatic?”

“Are you serious? You’re scolding me about the Ten Commandments? This isn’t normal. What are you?”

“You don’t listen very well, do you? I told you I am an angel,” he said with a huge grin. “You believe me now?”

I didn’t know what to believe. As far as I was concerned, I was dreaming. And if what they were telling was true, what kind of angels were they to be this rude? I thought all angels were kind and noble.

Michael, to my right, was silent while Davin, to my left, was thoroughly enjoying himself. This can’t be happening, I thought. Dream or no dream, I needed answers.

“Where are we going?” I pleaded. “Why aren’t you telling me anything?”

Michael turned swiftly with a cold stare and said, “I told you not to come back.”

W
e were gliding just
above the clouds, the warm breeze gently brushing against my face. I was flying, and it was incredible. As their bodies protruded forward, we picked up speed. Soon we were at an angle, and all that was beneath me were the clouds—white and fluffy, soft, cottony clouds—oh, what fun it would be to bounce on them. I was overwhelmed by the magic of this moment. How I wished this was more than a dream.

We looked down upon a castle which looked like an ice sculpture, one that you might see at a black-tie affair. Or perhaps it was something grander, like crystals. With all that I had already seen, I didn’t think it was possible that I could still be amazed. A bright ring resembling a force field encased the castle, protecting it. But from what? There were no windows, only a colossal door, as if meant for a giant. There was a simple elegance to it, yet it looked cold and empty from the outside. Certainly one could get lost inside this enormous castle.

As we approached the entrance the ring disappeared, leaving me to think it had been a figment of my imagination, but as we stood at the front door, it returned. The gigantic door opened, seemingly sensing our presence, and we walked in.

While I was making my observations, Davin spoke. “Welcome to Halo City, my human.” He slowly knelt down on one knee, much like an old-fashioned gentleman.

Not knowing what to say, I simply gave him a smile. He linked my arm through his and led the way. Contrary to the coldness surrounding this place, it felt strangely warm and inviting inside. Although I had imagined it to be dark, it was surprisingly bright, even with the absence of windows. The light somehow penetrated the walls. I imagined this was what being in the center of a diamond would be like, thousands of brilliant facets sparkling through. There was no fancy furniture, just unadorned and elegant décor.

“What are we doing here?” I whispered as I unlinked Davin’s arm. I had a slightly uneasy feeling, like we were sneaking into a stranger’s home.

Michael turned slightly, purposely avoiding eye contact with me, and said flatly, “You are here to speak to Phillip. He will know what to do. He knows you’re here, and he will ask you many questions, thanks to Davin.” As soon as he finished speaking, he walked right past me, brushing my shoulder as if I wasn’t there. As I moved forward, he turned to look at me with narrowed eyes, insinuating that I was the one at fault.

“Jerk,” I mumbled to myself.

Davin looked at me and said, “Well, I, ummm…well…” He shrugged his shoulders and smiled, succumbing to the fact that we had no other choice. Then he realized I was more focused on Michael. “Don’t worry about him. He’s quite nice once you get to know him. He is somewhat of a grouch today, maybe because you’re around.”

“What?” I muttered under my breath in shock. Did I hear him correctly? It didn’t matter. Being a grouch was an understatement. Egotistical and rude was more like it, but I didn’t say anything. For no apparent reason at all, I was getting annoyed with Davin, but that quickly subsided when I realized it was me who had wanted to stay. He was just being friendly. I was also anxious to meet Phillip, and was feeling uneasy about what he planned to ask. At this point all I wanted were answers. I would endure rudeness, annoyance, and just about anything to understand this mysterious world.

While waiting for Phillip, I began to become intrigued by these angels. How many were there? Were there male and female angels? This Philip must be powerful and wise if we were coming to speak to him. I had expected to see an old man with a long white beard, perhaps with a cane. I suppose it had been ingrained in my mind that age and gray hair implied great wisdom. But that wasn’t the case. When Phillip arrived, I was surprised to see that he was quite handsome, and appeared only slightly older than Michael.

“Hello and welcome,” he said with an authoritative tone.

He took several steps down and faced me directly. Excitement rose through me, my heart beat faster, simultaneously feeling joy and fear, knowing he was someone of great importance. I timidly held my head up and looked directly into his eyes. I saw that he had the same shade of brown eyes as Michael.

He continued, “I was wondering if you could tell me how you got here?”

I paused to figure out how I should answer his question. I couldn’t believe he had just asked me that! Here I was, waiting patiently to get my answers, and I kept getting questioned the same way. Why was it that I had no answers, and everyone kept asking me, as if I knew? I felt frustrated by his inquiry, since I was hoping to finally receive the answers I had been searching for. Flushed with anger, I spoke with attitude. “To tell you the truth, I really don’t know, and everyone keeps asking me the same question. How come you don’t know—you had to have seen me coming. Aren’t angels all-knowing?”

I couldn’t believe I had blurted out like that, and I immediately regretted how I had said it. What was I thinking? I was appalled at myself for being so rude. I couldn’t take it back even if I had wanted to. I wanted to apologize for my bad behavior, but what I feared more was how he might react. Surprisingly, he just smiled, and I instantly relaxed.

“You see, I might have some answers for you, but I wanted to know if you knew anything first.”

“You know how I got here?” I asked in an apologetic tone, realizing what an idiot I had been for not being more patient.

“Perhaps we can figure it out together,” he said with certainty. “Please, have a seat next to me.”

He pointed to a chair beside him that I was certain hadn’t been there before. I thought that was peculiar, but maybe I had missed seeing it. I hesitated to sit next to him, but I did as instructed. Philip sat down next to me and paused, appearing to be deep in thought. He glanced at Michael and Davin, who nodded, clearly agreeing to whatever task Philip was suggesting. I gathered they could communicate telepathically.

He inhaled deeply and began to speak. Whatever he was about to reveal seemed to be something I wasn’t supposed to know. “Humans only know a fraction of our history, although they spend years and years of research trying to find concrete evidence of our existence on Earth. What I am about to tell you has never been disclosed to any human. Fair warning, if you decide to share this information with another human, they may think you have lost your mind. You understand what I’m trying to say, don’t you?”

“Yes,” I replied. In his own polite way, he was asking me to keep my mouth shut. There were tons of people I could share this information with, but Phillip was right. Who would believe me? I was so humbled and honored to be here in their presence that I would do just about anything they asked.

“Very well, let’s start from the beginning. I will make it short and simple. A long time ago, angels roamed the Earth with the guidance of the Twelve Angels. We refer to them as Earth angels. They learned how to be human. Much time was spent studying their mannerisms, learning about their emotions and anything that would help make the task of blending with the humans easier. There were thousands of them. They could travel at immense speed and were exceptionally stronger than anything imaginable. They didn’t look anything like the angels you are taught about in school or church. They didn’t have wings or bright halos around their heads.

“The humans were completely unaware of their existence. Their sole purpose was to observe and guide humans away from temptation, poor judgment, and sometimes death. Just like humans have the Ten Commandments, angels had their Ten Divine Commandments. The second one proclaimed that they were forbidden to love a human or to procreate. The resistance proved to be far too difficult for some, though most were able to resist. For the others, the urge became unbearable the longer they stayed in the human world. They had forgotten who they were and their purpose, thus procreating life that was forbidden. For a long period of time, the ‘forbidden children’ remained hidden. Many were able to grow well into their teens, some making it to their twenties.

“You see, our kind is governed by a Royal Council. The Royal Council consists of God’s first angels—Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Raguel, Uriel, Zerachiel, Remiel and many others who were created before us. They make decisions based on what they agree to be in our best interest. When they found out about the children born into human society, all angels were immediately banned from having any physical or emotional contact with humans. However, permission was granted for a select few to stay behind and continue their duties. The agreement was that they could not procreate, and in return, they would be allowed to live and die as humans.”

Angels lived among us, I thought to myself. It was hard to imagine, but I could have spoken to one. The thought of actually being that close to an angel was unbelievable. I broke out of my thoughts when Phillip spoke.

“I know this is difficult to take in, but do you understand?” he asked.

“What you are telling me is that there is a chain of command with angels?”

“Yes, first the Royal Council, then the Twelve, followed by Earth angels. These angels have no wings. They blend with the humans quite well, perhaps too well. Lastly, the forbidden children.”

“What happened to these children?” I asked, afraid of what his answer might be.

“They were sent here, this place called the Crossroads, and you are standing in Halo City. Humans use the term, nephilim for these children, but we call them alkins. “Alkin” are the alpha—the first of its kind, half angel, half human. They are the first generation to be born into human society.”

Michael and Davin came to my mind. I remembered Michael saying that we were at Crossroads, between life and death. Davin referred to himself as an angel with no wings. Alkins didn’t have wings. Thoughts flooded my mind. Everything was coming at me hard and fast. Out of impulse, I turned to look at Michael and Davin. I felt ashamed that I was the reason a secret so profound had been revealed. A secret that had been concealed for who knows how long. And I, a mere human, was responsible for its exposure. I wanted to tell them how sorry I was, how ashamed I felt, but they didn’t even look up at me. Their heads remained low, almost as if they were embarrassed about who they were. I quickly turned back so they wouldn’t notice me.

“Are you an alkin?” I asked Philip.

“No. I am one of the Twelve.” There was a note of arrogance to his tone. “When the alkins were found, a few of the Twelve Angels were reassigned to Halo City with them. It became our responsibility to guide and mentor the alkins to be more like angels rather than humans. That was the day the Twelve Angels were divided. Margaret, Agnes, and I were chosen to become their mentors. The rest stayed behind to continue their assignments. Like humans, angels were not created perfectly. There is one particular angel who has rebelled and has taken many alkins with him. We call them the fallen. We don’t know where they are.”

He suddenly and gracefully stood up and spread his wings. It was a vision of elegance and poise, majestic and holy, a miraculous moment that I knew I would never forget. I was overwhelmed by the beauty and reality of what was happening. Part of me wanted to touch him, to be sure that this was real. Was I truly witnessing an angel? Was I really having this conversation? I was completely unaware of the fact that my eyes were wide and my bottom lip might as well have been on the floor, until Philip cleared his throat.

Embarrassed by my actions, I quickly diverted attention by asking another question, “What do the fallen look like?” I was relieved to finally get to this question, seeing as they would be the ones coming after me.

“You ask many questions. You already know too much,” he said softly. I thought that was the end of our conversation, but he continued to speak. “Humans would imagine them to look like monsters, but in fact, they look like us.”

I was in shock. I had expected him to tell me otherwise. “Then how can you tell the difference between a fallen and an angel?” I asked with a worried expression.

“By appearances, you can’t tell us apart.”

A part of me was glad that they didn’t look like hideous creatures, but knowing the possibility they might be after me sent a painful chill through every bone in my body. Now that I had that information, I wanted to know more about the alkins.

“How many alkins exist here?” I asked, eagerly thinking that I’d finally get the answer that Michael wouldn’t reveal. Then I worried that maybe he wouldn’t tell me since he thought I knew too much.

“There are thousands of alkins who reside here. I would like you to meet the officers who already know you are here. The other alkins are not aware of your presence, and I would like to keep it that way.”

Wow! Thousands, I repeated Phillip’s words in my head. My whole body seemed to explode with excitement and I could barely contain myself.

“I would like to introduce you to…” motioning his hands, they entered one by one. “Vivian, Caleb, Ruth, Paul. And you’ve already met Michael and Davin.” Each was flawless. Their beauty was breathtaking, a vision of royalty at its finest, and they all possessed a soothing glow in their eyes. I had pictured them in white gowns, but they were wearing jeans and T-shirts just like Michael and Davin. They were dressed just like human beings. It was true…you couldn’t tell the difference between humans and the alkins.

Nobody said a word. There was an uncomfortable silence. I became their subject, and they stared at me with confused and curious eyes.

Phillip broke the silence, “You have to excuse their demeanor. It has been quite some time since they’ve seen a human. We are going to have to monitor you from here on. It is important that we keep an eye on you, just in case the fallen find out about your involvement with us. They are not so friendly. You are an easy target since they can sense your presence now. Once you have entered our world, your aura will stand out from the rest of the humans on Earth. There is a possibility they may think you are an alkin.”

Fallen may think I’m an alkin echoed inside my head. I couldn’t believe what he was saying. What kind of mess did I get myself into? I thought I was only dreaming, and it was turning out to be a nightmare.