Dark Wings Descending (21 page)

“No, I just don’t think she can work up the nerve to confront her yet. Not everyone acts on their impulses like there’s no tomorrow.”

 “Oh, there’s always a tomorrow. It’s just you never know what it might bring.”

“In my experience, it’s usually another body.”

Ashley feared that in Rafe’s line of work that was sadly true. She smoothed her fingers down Rafe’s arm and captured her hand to squeeze gently before releasing it. “Want to go get some fresh coffee for the troops before we go sit and pore over more files and data? I’d like to clear my nostrils of the morgue smell.”

Rafe led her out the back of the CPD and out into the cool morning air. A morgue van pulled up as they were leaving and they stepped aside to watch Dr. Alan and his team welcome another body into their care.

“Tomorrow never came for that unfortunate soul.” Rafe sounded uncharacteristically morose.

“Their journey here has ended, but they start a new path that we can’t begin to imagine.”

“Are you religious, Ashley?”

She shrugged. “I
believe
. I don’t think it’s entirely the same thing.”

Rafe’s eyes drifted toward the sky. Ashley saw her shut them for a moment, then let out a soft exhale of breath. “I don’t know what to believe anymore. I’d like to believe that after this life there’s somewhere better to go, but I’ve seen the terror left on those girls’ faces and wonder what hell we have to tread first in order to reach whatever peace there is.”

“Not all people die like that, Rafe. We just have an exceptionally cruel killer on the loose.”

“I want him caught.” Rafe gave Ashley a sideways glance. “Dean is still looking into Epcot’s claims.”

“Is he sparkling today?”

Rafe huffed. “Of course he isn’t.”

“Then it’s still not him,” Ashley said bluntly, then added more softly, “Don’t start pinning your hopes on the reality you used to know, Rafe. It doesn’t exist anymore.”

Rafe grumbled under her breath. “I still want him caught.”

“He’s going to slip up. Nobody, human or demon, is perfect.”

“Promise?”

Ashley’s heart softened at how wistful Rafe sounded. She sought only to comfort and caressed Rafe’s cool cheek, ever mindful of their surroundings but needing to touch her. “You can count on it. You know your humans; I know my demons. Together, we’ll put a stop to whatever this monster is.”

“Rafe, will you please put your hat on? You’re making me cold just looking at you.”

Rafe rummaged in her jacket pocket and pulled out the woolen hat. She jammed it over her ears then cocked her head at Ashley. “Happy now, Mother?” She stuffed her hands into her pockets, only now noticing the cool evening air. “You know, I should be at work, not slinking off home.”

Ashley linked her arm through Rafe’s and crowded in. “You’ve been popping pills all day. Don’t think I was the only one who noticed either. Dean is manning the office, but even he said there was nothing for you to stay for.”

“Thanks for pointing out again that we have no leads to investigate.”

“You can’t make evidence appear out of thin air, Detective. Sitting for hours staring at the data streams isn’t going to make the answers magically spring out either.”

“It would help if your contacts were a little more forthcoming. You know, the whole
eye in the sky
? And I’m not talking Google Earth here.”

“You know it doesn’t work like that, sweetheart,” Ashley said.

Rafe was annoyed that Ashley couldn’t just get her angel
friends
to point a finger at the culprit, but the unexpected endearment took the ire right out of her. “You’re trying to make me forget what I’m being grumpy about.”

“I don’t want you grumpy. I’m just taking you to your home to eat, seeing as you have decided my perfectly functional apartment is beneath you.”

“Your apartment is in the middle of a demon-infested hellhole. It’s not somewhere that helps me relax when there’s so much activity going on.” Rafe wrapped an arm around Ashley’s shoulder, wishing she could just whisk both of them away from anywhere connected to demons.

“And you’ve got undercover narcotic cops watching the street corner for the guys we saw last night, haven’t you?”

Rafe stiffened at the accusation. “Shit,” she ground out. “Does
nothing
escape you?”

“I’m getting to know you too well, Detective Douglas, for whom duty comes first and foremost,” Ashley said with a smile. “And I got a message from Eli saying we had lots of new faces in the area trying to blend in. Humans do tend to stick out there.”

“So much for them being inconspicuous.” Rafe tugged on a piece of hair at the nape of Ashley’s neck. “Are you angry?”

Ashley shook her head. “No, it means I get to meet Trinity again, and I’m not so stupid that I don’t appreciate a nice home over the place I sleep in.”

As they walked down her street, Rafe looked at her house with fresh eyes. She’d taken it for granted for many years. It was a place to come back to after work to sleep in, feed her cat in, to just exist in before she went back out to work. Now, with Ashley beside her, it felt so much better to go back to.

“It feels like a home when you’re in it,” Rafe said, surprising herself when the words came tumbling out. Ashley looked up at her silently. “Well, it does. It’s the darndest thing. I can’t explain it.”

“Life just keeps surprising you at every turn, doesn’t it, Rafe?”

Rafe could hear the amusement in Ashley’s voice but just handed her the house keys and had Ashley let them inside. “Here kitty kitty,” she crooned down the hallway. Trinity came running, her answering meows loud and obviously joyous. Rafe picked her up, petting her fur and rubbing behind her ears.

“Now that’s a welcome home.” Ashley stroked the cat’s head. “I wonder if I could get Eli to try it?”

“He’s more winged than furred. Trinity would think he was a bird to be chased.” Rafe grinned at the thought. “Wouldn’t that be something to find left as a gift for me?” She let the cat down and helped Ashley out of her leather jacket. She hung it up along with her own. Rafe scratched her head blissfully after removing her hat. “The sooner this starts growing out, the better.”

“It’s going to be interesting seeing what your hair really looks like.” Ashley ran her palm over Rafe’s head. “Not that you don’t look gorgeous like this.”

“I look like someone I’d arrest.”

“Your bruises are fading.” Ashley touched at Rafe’s face gently. “You’re going to totally break my heart with how handsome you are when you are all healed.”

Rafe captured Ashley’s wandering hand and pressed the palm to her cheek. “Don’t say that. I don’t ever want to hurt you.”

“I just meant you’re going to be even more beautiful.”

“You’re the beautiful one.” Pressing her lips to Ashley’s palm, Rafe fell into the fathomless blue of her eyes. She was only brought out of her spell by Trinity head-butting her leg. She looked down to where the cat was weaving her way through their legs, grumbling in a plaintive voice.

“Guess someone is feeling left out.” Ashley chuckled. “Maybe we should get the food ready and leave this conversation for later.” She stepped back from Rafe. “Besides, you need something other than the standard cop diet of doughnuts.”

“You got me a sandwich for lunch,” Rafe said, recalling the amusement of her colleagues when Ashley had taken their orders and told them, “If you eat, she’ll eat.”

“And now I’m fixing you pasta.” Ashley held up the bag of groceries she’d refused to let Rafe carry from the little corner shop a block away from Rafe’s home. “You sit,” she ordered and pushed Rafe in the direction of the couch, then handed her the TV remote. “Channel surf and stay away from the news channel or else.”

Instead, Rafe craned her neck to try to watch Ashley start puttering around the kitchen. “There’ll come a time where you won’t be waiting on me,” Rafe said.

“Good, then you can show me how good you are at fixing stuff other than cereal.”

“I hope you’re partial to cat food.” She warmed to the sound of Ashley’s laughter. She slipped her shoes off and pushed them under the coffee table, then rested her sock-covered feet on top. Clicking between the channels, Rafe listened to the running commentary going on in the kitchen between Ashley and the cat.

“You know, I think you’ve fed that cat more than I have the past few days.”

“I like it. She doesn’t complain about the menu.”

Rafe finally stayed on one channel. She settled in against the seat cushions and tried to relax.

“Dr. Alan was particularly cooperative today,” she said.

“No shop talk,” was shouted back.

“I’m just thinking. It was funny when he called you a witch.” Rafe grinned. That comment had tickled her though she’d tried not to show it in the morgue.

“Good thing he doesn’t know the half of it.”

“I wonder how many demon bodies he’s had on his slab and just never had a clue.”

“Rafe, I’m going to feed your pasta to Trinity if you don’t find something else to talk about.”

Rafe stayed silent for a moment. She wasn’t used to having someone she could talk to about work, or anything. Actually, now that she thought about it, she wasn’t used to having someone to talk to period. She tried to watch the TV, but it was just a blur of motion before her eyes.

“Good grief, don’t tell me you can’t hold a civilized conversation?” Ashley said from the kitchen.

“I’ve already found out what your favorite film is. That’s about as far as my repertoire goes.” She could hear Ashley laughing at her but took it in good part. She was more aware than anyone of her own shortcomings.

“You’re a hopeless case.” Ashley walked into the room carrying a glass and handed it over to Rafe. “No booze for you. I still don’t trust you with it.”

“One mess-up,” Rafe grumbled, accepting the soda and drinking from it thirstily. Had she drunk anything today other than coffee? She guzzled nearly half the glass away.

Ashley was watching what was playing on the TV. “You’re watching
V
?”

Rafe had to look at the screen to check. “It would appear so.”

“You can watch a show that portrays aliens living amongst us, but you quibble at there being demons actually walking the Earth?”

“I’m trying to be more open-minded, but there isn’t exactly a support group for demonophobics.”

Laughing, Ashley grabbed Rafe’s head in her hands and kissed her soundly. “I love your sense of humor. You’re so freaking funny!”

Rafe watched her disappear back into the kitchen. “But I wasn’t joking,” she said. She turned her attention back toward the show and watched as the alien leader furthered her plot against the human race.
Us against them
, she mused, but cheered up when a familiar blond character came onscreen brandishing her gun.
And the heroic female cop rides in to save us all
. She tipped her glass to the screen in a toast.
Here’s to those who carry the badge and fight to protect and serve against all evildoers.
She only hoped she could be strong enough to face what lay ahead in her own future.

*

Sprawled out on the couch, snuggled up against Rafe’s side, Ashley savored how perfect the moment was.
For one so hell-bent on rushing headfirst into everything,
s
he brings a calm to my life like I’ve never experienced before
. She slipped her fingers over Rafe’s stomach and pushed past the soft cotton shirt to find warm skin beneath. She caressed it, thrilling to the strength of muscle twitching beneath her touch.

“You keep that up and I’ll be purring almost as loud as Trinity,” Rafe said lazily, running her fingers through Ashley’s hair. They both looked over at the cat curled up in front of the fire, her purrs vibrating through the air.

“That’s one happy cat,” Ashley said. “Of course, it might have been the pasta sauce I added to her kibble.”

“I hope she doesn’t expect that every day now.” Rafe tugged at Ashley’s hair gently in reprimand.

Ashley reached up to nuzzle Rafe’s neck. Rafe tilted her head to give her easier access, apparently more than willing to let Ashley do whatever she wished. Ashley took full advantage of that, spreading kisses from Rafe’s chin up to the soft spot behind her ear. Rafe jumped a little as Ashley teased her by nipping at her earlobe and then sucking it between her lips.

“Ashley,” Rafe rumbled as Ashley kissed a path across her cheek.

“Have we waited long enough for me to have my wicked way with you?” She breathed the words into Rafe’s ear and felt a shudder vibrate through Rafe’s body. She let out a squeal of surprise when Rafe suddenly moved from under her and was on her feet as swiftly as her body would allow. She reached for Ashley’s hand and pulled her up from the couch. Rafe led her up the stairs, switching off lights as she went. The lamp beside the bed was switched on and Rafe turned to pin Ashley with serious eyes.

“Last chance to bail.”

Ashley shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere without you right beside me.”

Rafe pushed Ashley down on the bed and climbed over her. Ashley gasped as the weight of Rafe’s body pinned her to the mattress. She barely had a chance to delight in it before Rafe’s mouth covered hers and kissed any comment from her lips. She clung to Rafe’s back and dug her nails in at the pleasure Rafe wrought from her. Ashley tugged at Rafe’s shirt, trying to pull it free from her pants until Rafe stopped her kisses and reared up. Rafe straddled Ashley’s hips and slowly, deliberately, began to unfasten each button. Ashley had to force herself not to reach up and rip the shirt off with her bare hands. Unable to help herself, she groaned as flesh was revealed inch by tantalizing inch.