Angel Magic (5 page)

 
For now, he needed to find Tehmuel. Fortunately, he knew where his friend lived.

 
The one advantage to the ice prison was how it amplified his Angeli vision and hearing.

 
After the first one hundred years or so, he had been able to focus on Earth well enough to follow friends around as they went about their business. He’d heard the Angeli debates about staying on Earth or departing to a human-free Angeli home. The Angeli world had won out and all but a few had retired to the new world. Rahmiel had watched his friends and family with interest for a while, but the Angeli world had become boring after a few hundred years.

 
Earth, on the other hand, was always bursting with energy, with wild ideas and bloody wars, with kingdoms rising and falling, heroic battles, passionate lovers. He much preferred watching Earth.

 
Still, he’d kept track of Tehmuel. Rahmiel found him out in his garden, working on an intricate mosaic made of tiny colored grains of sand.

 
Rahmiel landed in the middle of it, and deliberately wiped out an entire section with his wings. The look on Tehmuel’s face was priceless. Rahmiel roared with laughter.

 
“You ruined my mosaic.”

 
Rahmiel doubled over with laughter. Tehmuel, his red beard quivering with rage, launched into him and they skidded across the mosaic, sending the tiny colored grains flying.

 
“I worked on that for three hundred years.” Tehmuel hit him in the gut.

 
The old man still had it in him, Rahmiel thought as he bent over and groaned.

 
“Rahmiel?” Tehmuel paused and frowned at him. “How’d you get out of the freezer?”

 
“Long story. How about you find me something fermented to drink, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

 
They made their way to padded lounge chairs on the patio and stretched out, drinking a fruity iced wine Tehmuel pulled from a cupboard. Rahmiel made a face when he took a mouthful. “What is this?” He expected something a little…heartier.

 
“The only wine we can have here,” Tehmuel answered with a frown. “Pitiful, isn’t it?”

 
“What do you mean, the only wine you can have here?“

 
“They have laws about brewing. Laws about everything.”

 
Rahmiel wagged his head. He wasn’t surprised. Even in his day the law and order types were making a lot of noise. “Why do you stay?”

 
Tehmuel grinned. “Well, there are laws against leaving, too. But I doubt they are enforced. I’ve heard rumors that some of the young Angels are sliding away to other dimensions.” He waved his glass toward Rahmiel. “There’s a law against you being here, I’m pretty sure. So why are you here?”

 
Rahmiel told him about Kaphawn.

 
Tehmuel nodded. “You know, I’ve had that thought now and then. What would happen if Kaphawn got out, would you get out, too?”

 
“I did. A girl did the summoning spell. She thought she was too plump and it would make her slim. She found the spell in some old book.”

 
Tehmuel whistled through his teeth. “That is not good news.”

 
“I got there almost immediately. She was skewered but still alive. Kaphawn fled, he knew he was no match for me, even though the ice still encased me and I wasn’t fast. I think it is going to take awhile for him to regain his strength. He consumed some people and went into hiding.”

 
Tehmuel nodded. “If those kills had given him strength, he’d have continued killing. Remember that tribe on the Danube River?”

 
Rahmiel nodded. That was a memory he didn’t enjoy dredging up, all those dead children…

 
Tehmuel was silent for a moment, also.

 
“So, you rescued the girl. Was she appropriately grateful?”

 
Rahmiel grinned. “The girl is a beauty, named Kari. I did a binding with her. It will keep her somewhat safe from Kaphawn, and keep me on Earth. You should have seen Lemuel when he saw the girl was bound.”

 
“I’d have liked to see that, no doubt about it,” Tehmuel chuckled. “So, you’re bound to a human girl. She’s pretty, you say? A virgin?”

 
“Not any more. And she’s gorgeous. Red hair down to her butt, big green eyes, soft pink lips.”

 
Tehmuel laughed the hearty laugh of a warrior.

 
They had a few more drinks, ignoring the taste but enjoying the effect.

 
“Maybe he needs to complete the kill,” Tehmuel said.

 
“What?”

 
“Maybe Kaphawn needs to complete the girl’s kill.
Like a sacrifice.
Maybe that’s why he comes back for victims he doesn’t kill the first time.”

 
Rahmiel suddenly felt sober. “It’s a good thing I bound her, then.”

 
“True. But if I were you, I wouldn’t rely on that to keep her safe. Kaphawn has mighty powers when he’s well fed.”

 
“Yes. I should be getting back. But I wanted to see if you wanted to slide down to Earth and help me out. We both know he will be easier to defeat now than he will be after a thousand kills.”

 
“Sure, why not? Lemuel won’t like it, but there isn’t any law against fighting a famine demon. Really, we should kill them. If they take out the humans, who would be next?”

 
“Angeli.”

 
“Yes. And after killing off the human population, he’d have the power to get to us.

 
Now, come with me. We’ll go talk to my grandson, Auriel. He’s always in trouble, but he’s a good fighter. Can’t get into the Guardians, of course. Lemuel thinks he’s a worthless pup. But he’s a fine swordsman. I taught him myself.”

Chapter Four

 
Kari woke up in her bed with a damp towel under her wet hair. She blinked, and made her eyes focus on the clock.
Almost four in the afternoon.
How could she have slept the whole day away? Her hair was still damp and the chill sent a shiver up her spine.

 
Funny, she didn’t remember taking a shower. Her head throbbed and she felt odd, like she’d had too much to drink. Fuzzy. She couldn’t think, and her eyes felt so heavy.

 
Coffee would help.

 
She sat up and pain throbbed between her legs. What was wrong?

 
Oh my God! Kaphawn, Rahmiel, her new body, Angels… Memories of the past night came flooding back.

 
She flopped back onto the bed. She shouldn’t be this sore, should she? He’d said he would be gentle. Kari closed her eyes and thought about the night. They had gone to a beach somewhere. Nowhere near Peoria. He told her about the protection that required sex…how he’d be gentle…

 
He only bound you to stay out of prison, girl.
 
The voice of that other angel echoed in her head. Was that true? Or was what Rahmiel said the truth, that the binding made her safe?

 
It had seemed so real—the intimacy, the emotion in their kisses. Had he only been doing a job? Or worse, had he been using her to stay out of prison?
Or just plain usingme for sex?

 
She climbed out of bed and went to find him. They needed to talk. Rahmiel wasn’t in the house. She sank down at the kitchen table and tried to think about what she should do. Rahmiel was gone and he might not come back. She’d given him what he wanted—sex and a ticket out of prison. A tear trickled down her cheek and she scrubbed it away. How could she have been so stupid? The first
good looking
guy—angel—to come along, and she just gave it away. He’d taken her virginity and taken off.

 
What about that demon? Wasn’t she still in danger? What if he lied about the protection of the binding or whatever he’d called it?

 
Kari took a long hot shower, letting the water wash over her. It helped some. She took her time and blew her hair dry, hoping Rahmiel would show up.

 
She had to pull on the clothes she’d worn the night before. They were none too clean, but she had nothing else to wear.

 
Being thin just didn’t seem so wonderful now. The Dieter’s Delight—no, she would not let herself think about that now.

 
Kari fixed some instant coffee and a piece of toast with a scraping of peanut butter, wondering if it would make her gain weight. The kitchen phone’s answering machine was blinking. She hit the button and her best friend’s voice filled the room.

 
“Kari, call me as soon as you get this message. Something awful has happened. The Dieter’s Delight group—” Amber Dahl’s voice broke with a sob.

 
Visions of the Dieter’s Delight group, pitiful dead remains on the floor, flooded her.

 
They had all died because of her. What was wrong with her? She was the reason they were dead. Her stupid
plan to use magic to get thin
—if it was such a great idea then why didn’t others use it? She should have known better.

 
My friends are dead because of me.

 
Amber! Kaphawn would know all about Amber. Rahmiel said the demon used her memories to find victims. Amber had stopped going to Dieter’s Delight because her classes were so demanding this semester. Panic welled up within her. What if Kaphawn—? She wouldn’t let herself finish the thought.

 
Kari grabbed her purse and car keys and rushed to Amber’s small apartment.

 
She banged on the door but didn’t wait for Amber to answer. She shoved her key into the lock and swung the door open.

 
Amber was right there, her face and eyes red from crying, but plump and healthy.

 
Kari flung her arms around her.

 
“Who—” Amber shoved her away, and Kari realized her best friend didn’t even recognize her.

 
“Amber, it’s me, Kari. I know I look different. I had to make sure you were safe. I was so scared.”

 
Amber backed away into her apartment and stared at her. “You can’t be Kari.”

 
“Amber, I know I don’t look like myself. But I can explain. It’s a crazy explanation, but you have to listen to me.”

 
“You sound like Kari…have the right hair and eyes…but there is no way you can be Kari.”

 
“Amber, I did a magic thing. That’s why I’m so thin.”

 
Amber snorted.

 
“I am Kari.” Kari paused for a moment to think of something. “Remember when we did the third ear piercing in tenth grade? Then we decided they looked trashy because Luanne had three piercings, and she stole your boyfriend? So we let them close. Look, you can still see mine.” Kari swept her hair out of the way. “See?”

 
Amber looked then burst into tears. “Lisbet is dead. Something really awful happened to the Dieter’s Delight Club.
Some serial killer or something.
And I don’t understand how you could be so thin in just a couple of days.”

 
Kari grabbed Amber’s shoulders. “Listen to me, Amber. This is really important.

 
We can’t stay here. That—that killer could come here. We have to go hide somewhere.”

 
“What do you mean? You know about the killer?”

 
Kari started crying, too. “Yes, but there’s no time to talk. Let’s pack up some clothes and get out of here.”

 
A picture floated in front of her eyes. A shadow moved slowly.
A skeletal hand.