Wings of Darkness: Book 1 of The Immortal Sorrows Series (9 page)

     I took a deep breath, let it out
calmly.  “And you keeping me alive pissed off your friend?”  He
simply nodded.  I stood up and let the fuzzy blanket drop to the
floor.  Suddenly, I was burning up.  Literally, I felt heat creep up my
neck into my face.  I unzipped my hoodie and draped it over the chair I’d
been sitting on.  I paced back and forth, like he had done earlier.
 It was getting hard to breathe; the room was stifling.  “Wait, you
said you gave me blood.  How much blood are we talking?”

     “A small amount.  A few
drops.  My blood is potent.  It healed you.”  No kidding.  I
started to get a really bad headache.  Then I remembered all the times I’d
woken up with the taste of copper in my mouth.  He’d been in my
room.  He’d watched me sleep.  He’d fed me blood.  More than
once.

     I stopped pacing to stare at him.
“Exactly how many times did you give me your blood, Asher?”

     He looked away.  “A few
times.  I had to be sure you would be safe.”

     I snorted.  “Looks like that
didn’t work out for you very well, did it?  The freaking Grim Reaper just
tried to kill me.”  I had a sickening thought.  “Wait, if he’s
decided to kill me, then why am I still alive?  I mean, he’s the Big Bad,
right?  I should be dead meat by now.  Why didn’t you just let me
die?”

     Asher shrugged, a seemingly
careless gesture, but there was something behind his eyes that I didn’t quite
trust.  “It was not your time.”

     “Well, now it may
never
be my time; you
freaking drugged me with angel blood!  Who does that shit?”  My voice
had reached a level only dogs could hear, but I was upset.  Rightfully so,
I thought.  It was a delayed reaction, but I still felt entitled to it.

     “Isabel, calm yourself.  I can
protect you, you will be safe; I promise.”

     “How?  How can you protect me
from something like that?”  I was agitated.  “If he wants me dead, I
can’t see a way around it.”

     Asher got up from his chair and
walked slowly towards me.  He put his hands on my shoulders to stop my
pacing.  “He cannot claim you.  My blood has bound you.”  Say,
what?

     “Bound me to what?  I don’t
understand.”  I grabbed the side of my head as that little headache turned
into a full grown migraine.  It felt like someone took a fork and stuck it
in my eye and gave it a good, slow twist.  I had a pulse behind my left
eye, with every beat of my heart.

     His hand came up, covering my own
and I felt heat rush through me all the way to my toes.  Like magic, my
headache disappeared.  Now, that was a really handy trick to have.
 “I bound your soul to your body, the day you almost died.”  His
voice dropped to a whisper I almost didn’t hear, “And later, I bound you to
myself.  You are not his to claim.  You are mine.”

     Isabel swallowed hard, big green
eyes glistening.  “You aren’t a guardian angel are you?”  I simply
stared back at her.  I was afraid to reveal too much of myself, too
quickly.  She was doing well; much better than I expected, but then I
already knew she was anything, if not special.  I just had no idea how she
would react to the entire truth.  There were a hundred questions in those
sparkling, green eyes of hers.  I wondered how I would even begin to
answer them all.

     Reluctantly, I dropped my hand from
hers.  I liked the contact; I could feel the bond my blood had
forged.  It called to me.  For the merest instant I saw
disappointment in her eyes before she turned away.  Did she feel the loss
of our connection, too?

     Not for the first time, I cursed
myself for what I had done to this girl.  She was doomed because of
me.  Guilt gnawed at me.  If I had not tampered with her, she might
have moved onto the next level of her journey toward the Divine.  I would
never know, now.  I had made my decision and compounded my sin several times
over.  Each time I gave her blood, I bound her tighter.  Would she
understand why I had done this?  Would she forgive me?  How could
she, when I did not fully understand it myself?

     She bit her lip and thought for a
moment, taking a little time to process everything that I had told her. 
She spoke slowly, deliberately.  “So you said that I’m changing. 
What am I changing into?”

     “I am not sure.  You are a new
thing.  I have my theories, but someone like you has never existed before,
to my knowledge.”

     “The guy chasing me, he called me
an abomination.  That can’t be good, right?”  She looked perfectly
miserable.  Small and vulnerable, I only wanted to protect her from what
was coming. Yet, I dreaded the way she would look at me once the truth came
out.

     “You are no abomination.  If
anything, you are something special. A hybrid, of sorts.” 

     Such a confused look on that pretty
face.  “A hybrid of what, Asher?”  Her eyes narrowed on me with
cutting precision.  “What aren’t you telling me?”

     I had to tell her, but I did not
want to.  I wanted to shield her; to let her remain in blissful ignorance,
for as long as she possibly could.  Also, I wanted to put off the moment
when she would look on me with disgust, and turn away.  It was not
possible, however; I could keep her in the dark no longer.  Each day she
grew stronger.  Her abilities were already draining those around her.

     I sighed, and prayed silently for
help from above.  “I am not sure, but you are no longer entirely human.” 
It was not wholly a lie. I braced myself for the hysterical tears.  Young
women can be so emotional.  She was bound to be upset, but I was prepared
to comfort her.  I would help her manage her strange, new abilities. 
I would stand beside her and fight those who meant to destroy her.  She
was mine to guard and I would do it, to the best of my abilities.

     Isabel’s jaw hung open for a
moment, then closed with an audible click of her teeth.  She pivoted on
her heel and took off for the living room.  Wait, where were the
hysterics?  Where were the tears?  I caught her halfway up the
stairs.  “Where are you going?  Do you have questions?”

     “Nope.” She shook her head, the
mass of dark hair swaying over her shoulders.  “I’m going to bed. 
Good night.  Let yourself out.”  Her tone was cool, but her eyes were
stormy.  Suddenly she bristled with anger.  Why? What had I done?

     “That is it?  That is all you
have to say to me?”  I was the one left confused.  What was going on
in that lovely head of hers?

     She rounded on me as she opened her
bedroom door. “Just what would you like me to say?  Thanks for saving my
life.  It’s been real, but it’s getting late, and my dad’s going to be
home soon.  I’ve had a really long day and I’d like some sleep.  When
you decide to tell me the truth, I’m all ears.”  Then she walked into her
bedroom and shut the door in my face.

     I was left dumbfounded.  What
had I said that was so wrong?  I heard the phantom laughter coming from
the bottom of the stairs.  Grim had found me.  Wonderful.  My
night was just going splendidly.  I gritted my teeth and considered
breaking down the door, but decided against it at the last moment.  I was
not sure what had just happened, but I did not want to terrorize the girl. 
I shook my head and heaved a frustrated sigh as I took myself downstairs.

     “So, did you have any luck with
your little friend,” Grim asked.

     “Of course I did.”  I tapped
my fingers against my leg, wondering how long before I could be done with this
conversation.  “It went well, I think.  As well as could be
expected.” 

     Grim’s grin was maddening. 
“Brought her right up to speed, did you?” I gave him a hard look.  I did
not need his input.  I could handle one girl.  Maybe. 
Possibly.  Of course I could.

     “Shut up, Samael.”  I did not
know what to do next.  Isabel was supposed to see reason.  Instead,
she had shut me down before I had told her much of anything. The girl was
utterly stubborn. 

     “Of course, oh Great and Powerful
One.  Anything for you.”  Tears of mirth glimmered in obsidian
eyes.  “I live, but to obey.” 

     “Your sarcasm is noted.”  The
more I thought about it, the more I wanted to destroy something.  This was
not supposed to happen; I had been dismissed.  Who, in their right mind,
would dismiss Death?  To be fair, though, she did not know that she had
done it.  She still did not know what I was. 

     “Seriously, Asher, you might want
to move things along here.  Word has it that Fate has gotten wind of your
little friend, and she isn’t happy.”  Lovely, another complication. 
Just what I needed.  “Also, you should know that some Lesser Demons have
been poking their pointy noses around the neighborhood, lately.  My best
guess is that they were sent to spy on your little abomination.  You should
be extremely careful.”  Damn.

     “Find something to do with
yourself, Samael.  I can take care of things, here.”  Isabel would
listen to me, whether she wanted to or not. 

     Grim snorted, “Clearly. 
You’ve taken care of things so well.  That’s why you’re still here with
me, instead of up there, with her.” He rolled his eyes towards the top of the
stairs.

     He was insufferable, arrogant, and
rude.  Those were his better qualities.  “Look, you have her
attention; now let her think about it for a little while.  She’s a
teenaged girl.  You’re not completely hideous, and you have that whole
mysterious, brooding thing going on.  Girls love those qualities in a
man.  She’s bound to come around, eventually.”  Just as I caught
myself growling, he thumped me soundly on the shoulder.  “Come hunting
with me.  You need to get away for a little while.  It will do you
good, and get your panties out of a knot.”

     I overlooked the crude reference to
my underwear.  Hunting was tempting, I had to admit, but I could not do
it.  “I cannot just leave, Grim.  If Fate, or the Lesser Demons, are
snooping around, it places the girl in certain danger.”

     “I’ve taken that into
consideration, Brother.  I have, very helpfully, placed guards to watch
over your pet human.  Just for a little while; long enough for you to get
your head out of your ass.” 

     I felt outward, with my other
senses, and found four mid-level Reapers in the area.  “Thank you, Grim,
but I cannot let things stand as they are. Isabel has to accept her
changes.  She has to listen to reason. Time may be running out.” I ran my
hand through my hair as I paced in front of the stairs. “The girl’s stubborn
nature is enough to drive me mad.” 

     Grim shook his head, a tiny smile
wanting to show.  “I always wondered what you’d be like without all the
icy self-control.  Honestly, I thought I’d enjoy this more, but you’ve
made yourself perfectly miserable.  I find myself feeling somewhat sorry
for you, Ashrael.”

     I started to tell him where he
could stuff his pity when he shifted himself out of the house.

                                    
                         ***

     Isabel came out of her bathroom
wearing a tiny, pink tank top and pajama bottoms covered in glittery pink
stars.  She brushed her teeth and a little bit of white drool escaped the
corner of her mouth.  She looked positively adorable.

Her face was newly scrubbed and her hair was piled high, on
top of her head.  She smelled faintly of vanilla, or maybe it was
coconut.  I found myself smiling in spite of my agitation; being near her
had a calming effect on me.  Then she saw me and let loose a
blood-curdling scream.   She looked remarkably like a rabid dog when
toothpaste came flying out of her mouth and sprayed everywhere.  I smirked
as I took a seat on her bed. Apparently, I did not have the same calming effect
on her. 

     “What the hell do you think you’re
doing in here?”  It came out in an angry hiss.  She looked irritated,
and I found that incredibly amusing, if I were being totally honest.  She
spun on her heel and went back into the bathroom.  I made myself
comfortable, propping up against the headboard while I waited for her to spit
the foam out.

     The damned cat merely glared at me,
too haughty to be startled into moving over.  I glared back at it; cats
are entirely too self-important for their own good.  Dogs live to please
their people.  Cats live to please themselves. I always thought it had
something to do with the ancient Egyptians worshipping them as gods.  As a
species, they have never forgotten.

      I heard Isabel gargling and
spitting in the other room, and a few muffled curse words.  It sounded
like someone strangling a duck.  I detected the faintest hint of mint from
the mouthwash.  Just as well, a serious conversation is hard to have when
the other person is drooling toothpaste.

     Isabel came back, stomping mad, and
scrubbed at her mouth with the back of her hand.  “Ok, now, what the hell
are you doing here?”

     “Continuing our
conversation.”  I was the picture of calm politeness.  We could get
through this, if she would only close her lovely mouth and listen.

       Her hands fisted on her
hips, and her eyes snapped with green fire; she looked ready for a fight. 
She was beautiful.  Somewhere deep inside, the greedy monster that is my
essence smiled, and
wanted
. 
“I think the conversations done, Asher.  Now, get off my bed, and go
away.” She made a shooing motion with her hands, like that would do her any
good.  If the cat would not move, neither would I.

     I sighed, deeply.  I tried to
do this the easy way.  The girl was too stubborn by far.  “We need to
talk, remember?”

     A look of doubt flashed through the
green of her eyes.  It was clear that she did not trust me.  “You
already told me plenty.  I’ve had a rough night.  I need sleep.”

     “And your friend, Gwen, have you
checked on her lately?”

      Dark brows drew together in a
straight line, confused and wary.  “She’s fine. I just called her. She’s
about to go to bed.  I called Alex, too, by the way.  He’s fine,
thanks for asking.” Her eyes narrowed on me, suddenly suspicious. “Why did you
ask about Gwen?”

     “Because she will not be fine for
long, if you do not listen to me.  Neither will your father, your friends,
or anyone else you come in contact with.”

     That got her attention.  Heat
spread up her throat and bloomed in her cheeks.  “Are you threatening my
family?”  Her lips pressed together so hard they turned into a thin, white
line.  Temper, temper…

     I sat up suddenly, finally at the
end of my patience.  “Me?  No.  I am not the threat to them; you
are.”

     She looked confused now, but she
was calming down; more annoyed than angry.  The girl’s moods changed
faster than the weather.  “Look.  Either you’re a figment of my
imagination or you’re a stalker.  Neither option is appealing,
frankly.  You talk in riddles, I can’t get a straight answer from you, and
you make me tired.  I’m no danger to anyone.  That’s just
ridiculous.”  Her arms crossed over her chest and her toe tapped,
impatiently.  She wanted rid of me, in the worst way.

     “That is where you are wrong. You
are a danger to every living thing around you.”

     She snorted and rolled her eyes at
me. “You’re full of shit.” Such a delicate little flower.  No wonder I
found her so compelling. 

     Well, if she would not believe what
I said, maybe a demonstration would convince her.  I stood up and beckoned
her with my hand.  “Come here, Isabel.  I need to show you
something.”

     “Oh, hell no.  The last time I
got near you, wings popped out.  I’ve seen plenty for one night.  And
I don’t know what you have in mind, but I’m scared of heights.  So, no
thanks.”  She backed away from me with both hands up, panic written
clearly across her face.

     “We do not need to fly, for
this.”  I wrapped my arms around her before she had a chance to run, and
shifted us away.