ANGEL'S KISS (A Dark Angel's Novel) (24 page)

Zeke hopped up and licked my hand on his way into the house. Yuck! He’d just been licking himself. We needed to talk about that. The delivery guy was still staring in the window, still in shock, I guessed.

“Is that for me?” I pointed to the package.

“Ma’am, we won’t be able to deliver if that thing is not on a leash or, better yet, locked up out back.” His hands still shook.

“Yes, sir, we just found him yesterday and I promise, he’ll be on a leash by this afternoon.” I said it loud enough so that Zeke could hear me. The loud growl let me know that he’d been listening. The delivery man pushed the package into my hands and took off down the driveway, walking so fast that he was almost running in his desperate need to escape.

I went into the house and set the package on the counter. I heard the shower running upstairs—no wonder Alan hadn’t heard the door. Oh well. I went to get another cup of coffee and gave Zeke a stern look on my way. Zeke stayed where he was and glowered at the package. “What? Are you mad that I didn’t let you eat the delivery guy? Now I’ll have to have everything delivered to the office.” Zeke just whimpered and looked up at the box. “What?” I asked again. He did nothing, but stare at the package. I sat my coffee cup down and went back over to the package.

I’m hooked on mail order, so the package was undoubtedly something I’d bought although I didn’t see a return address. I grabbed the scissors from the kitchen utensil canister and cut the tape. Zeke stayed by my side. He made me nervous.

“Hey, you’d tell me if it was a bomb or something, right?”

I opened the box, but all I could see was gold tissue paper. Using the end of the scissors, I carefully lifted the paper. I saw a tiny buckle.

Oh! Sweet!

I ripped the paper apart and—YES!—there was a brand new pair of heels just like the ones I’d lost when that shithead attacked me the other night. I pulled them out of the box and examined them. They were the right size. Inside the box I found a small card. The paper was thick, yet velvet-soft under my fingers. Like an old calling card. Written in beautiful script was a note:

Dear Qadesh: I wanted to give you something to remember our evening last night, and I remembered how much you liked the beautiful sandals. Enjoy! I’ll see you in your dreams. Ellasar

“What’s all the fuss about? Did we win something?” Alan was looking over my shoulder at the new shoes. I hid the card against the bottom of the box and showed him the shoes.

“Just some shoes that I ordered to replace the ones I lost the other night, no big deal.”

“Fancy.” Then he turned to get some more coffee. I was never more thankful that, like most men, he’d never really cared about clothes or shoes.

While his back was turned, I slipped the note into the box and closed the lid. He filled his mug and leaned against the counter, smiling at me.

“That’s all it takes to make you happy? I should have bought them for you days ago. If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you were giddy. What’s up?” He sipped his coffee, appraising me. I felt as though he could look right through my lies.

“The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, and I guess a woman’s is through her feet.” Smiling, I walked over with the shoes under my arm and gave him a peck on the cheek. I felt guilty lying to him, as if I was having an affair. “I’m heading up to grab a quick shower. If Dennis gets here before I get back, just tell him to get started, he knows what to do. Love you.” And I took off for the stairs without looking back.

Looking down at the shoes, I knew that I’d have to end this involvement with Ellasar somehow. Keeping secrets from Alan was just shitty, and I couldn’t keep lying to him.

Re-Building Alliances

As soon as I turned the water off in the shower, I heard Dennis yelling and sledge hammers pounding. It’s ironic that Big Daddy Seraiah built the original sunroom, and now his great-grandson is rebuilding it. I wondered if that’s where Dennis got his carpentry talent. He’s probably already thinking of ways to make the room larger or grander. I dried off fast and got dressed in a hurry to get downstairs and contain his “creative genius.”

“Hey, Sis, how you holdin’ up? Man, has it been a couple of shitty days for you or what?” He gave me a big hug.

“You have no idea, Dennis.” He looked down at me and his face wrinkled up as if he were working a puzzle.

“What?” I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “Do I have tooth paste on my face?”

“No,” he said, laughing. “Are you doing something different to your hair? I can’t figure it out. You look different.”

“Really?” What should I say to that? He never notices how I look unless I have a booger sticking out of my nose.

“Yeah, I’d look like shit after the last few days you’ve had, but you look...great.”

“Just a good night’s sleep,” I answered lightly punching his ribs. I would have tickled him, but he doesn’t like it when I mess with him around the guys. “So what do you think? Is anything salvageable?” I wanted to change the subject.

“Not really. I’m sorry. I know how much you liked this room.”

“At least no one got burnt.” I swallowed hard as I remembered Zeke dragging off the decapitated body. “Everything else can be fixed. Right?”

“Right.” He nodded.

“Can you put it back the way it was? I really loved all the glass and looking out at the stars.”

“Sure, Sis, but—”

“Ah-ah-ah!” Shaking my head and my finger at him, I tried to jump in before he could detail his big renovation ideas.

“Let me finish! You don’t even know what I was going to say.”

“No way! We are not making it bigger or more tricked out. I don’t want retractable ceiling panels or granite floors. Just put it back the way it was—please. I’m begging you, Dennis.”

“She’s got your number, ‘Mr. Tool Man’! Ha-ha-ha!” One of the guys couldn’t resist a jab at Dennis.

“Yeah, yeah, get back to work, Dale.” Dennis wasn’t laughing, but I knew he wasn’t mad.

“Listen, Lex. I could raise it to the same level as the main house. Extend it by a couple of feet in each direction. You’ve got the space on the lot, and if you ever sell, it would help. You could call it a family room. I was thinking about slate for the floors. No one uses granite for floors. It’s too slippery.”

I shook my head, but he didn’t stop.

“Let me draw it up, see what you think. It would be a great project for me to put on the web. Either way, Sis, you won’t have to pay for any of this. I’ll work with the insurance adjuster. They’re a pain in the ass, you know. They won’t want to pay enough even to put it back the way it was. Just think about it.”

I was still shaking my head, but he continued anyway. “The dumpster should be here in about an hour. I’ll be doing demo for the rest of today and tomorrow. So you don’t have to decide anything right now. Okay.” Then he turned and jumped down into the…what was my sun porch. So much for containing him.

Oh, well. I would like to have the room on the same level as the rest of the house. I’d try to keep an open mind.

“Hey Dennis, I’ve got to get to the office. I’ll look at drawings, but I’m not saying yes, got me?”

“Got it, Sis. I’ll talk to you later tonight.”

“Okay. Hey, do you know where Alan went?”

“Nah, he just said he had a meeting to get to and that you’d be down in a sec.”

“Okay. Thanks for making time for me, Dennis. I know you’re busy.”

“Don’t thank me till you see the finished product. You’ll love it!” He waved at me and went back to work, giving orders and talking on the phone. That thing was forever in his hand, sending texts, emails, or calling someone. Most of the time, he was doing all three things at once.

Looking at Dennis, the only bright spot in the mess that used to be a room, I suddenly felt worried. What if someone came looking for me and found him? Would—whoever it was—know that Dennis is one of us, whatever we are? Is he one of us? Dennis doesn’t have the same birth mark as I do. Does that mean he’d be safe? I turned and headed for the front door pulling my phone from my back pocket on the way. I needed to talk to B anyway; I might as well ask her about Dennis, too.

Zeke met me on the porch.

“Hey, buddy, want to come along for the ride? We can stop at the pet store on the way. Bet you’re hungry.” I patted his head and he barked his affirmation. “Come on, then.”

We got in my Jeep; Bonnie Raitt blasted from the speakers as we started down the drive. I hit the off button and Zeke settled into the back seat. As I turned onto
Main Street
, I dialed B. William answered, of course. Did that woman ever answer her own phone?

“Ms. Alexandria, it is good to hear your voice. Please wait and I will tell your grandmother that you’re on the line.”

I waited, turning onto the old beach road. I felt like taking the long way today. The big beach houses and small restaurants left just enough room for me to sneak a peek at the crystal-clear water as I waited for B.

“
Alexandria
, how can I help you today?” She sounded as if I might be calling to borrow a cup of sugar.

“Hey, B, I mean Beatrix. Sorry, old habits are hard to break. I need to ask a favor.”

“Yes, dear.” She sounded curious and a little apprehensive.

“Is Ben still my shadow?”

“Yes.” Still with a curious tone. I have to admit I enjoyed having her wonder where this line of questioning was going.

“Can you have him watch Dennis instead?” She didn’t immediately say no, so I barreled ahead. “I just left my house and Dennis is there doing the demo on the porch. He just looked like a sitting duck. Will they know what he is? Is he one of us? I mean he had the same parents. He might be in danger, too.”

“Our Angel’s Kiss is more than a birthmark. It’s a sign of our power. Dennis is a simple human and not of interest to them. As long as he’s not a threat, he’ll be fine.” She sounded sure of herself.

“Well, here’s the thing. Normally, I’d trust your judgment. But none of this seems ordinary. You didn’t know about the Janecks or that Ellasar could control me outside of my dreams. I’d feel better if someone were watching him. As a matter of fact, I’d like to have someone watch Alan, too.”

“
Alexandria
, how many people do you think I have? I’ve given you my best in Ben, and now you want two more to watch Dennis and Alan. Dennis I can see, but Alan?”

Her tone was so condescending that my hackles went up.

“What’s your problem with Alan? You’ve never even had a conversation with him. Why the attitude?” I turned into the Winn Dixie. They should have a pet section, I thought.

“My attitude toward your husband is not important at this juncture. What’s important is your safety. It is true,
Alexandria
, that I have a lot of armed people around me. But very few know what they are supposed to protect me from. They are my soldiers, my front line of defense, and they are—expendable.”

She heard my shocked intake of breath.

“I won’t apologize for protecting myself. You are naive about the world we live in. Your father persuaded me to keep you in the dark, and now that naiveté is coming back to haunt you. This is a war, and no good general would say they’re sorry for having a front line. My team is paid well and knows they may see some combat.”

“What do you mean by war?” The shock was still evident in my voice.

“That’s not for you to worry about now. However, you need to know that I am always fighting to stay free of the immortals who want to use us to build their strength and power. Our life force is an elixir to them. Kings can be made with the power that they take from us. And we can be used in other ways; I can’t explain all of this over the phone.”

I remembered the question that Ellasar told me to ask.

“Beatrix, tell me about granddad.”

“Why would you ask me such a question now?” Her voice had taken on a venomous quality.

“My new friend Ellasar told me to ask. He said it might help me understand why he wanted me and why I would be so...attracted to him.” What an understatement. I was drawn to him like a diabetic to a Snickers ice cream bar. Knowing he could kill me didn’t stop me from wanting him. “So, what’s up, B?”

“I will not have this conversation over the phone. And I’ll remind you for the last time that my name is Beatrix.”

Ooh, this must be bad. I’d have to thank Ellasar later for telling me what to ask. Damn, he’s good. Where did he get his info? Shit, now I was feeling grateful to him, after I’d been ready to kill him for using me and dragging me through those visions.

“Beatrix, I’m not making a trip out there just to ask you a question you can answer over the phone. What’s so important about granddad? Is there another angel in the closet?” I laughed to myself. What a difference a few days can make in your perceptions of the world!

“My husband Harold was not your biological grandfather.”

Now, that was a bomb. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I’m glad the car was already in park or I might have hit something.