ANGEL'S KISS (A Dark Angel's Novel) (32 page)

“Of course, you are no longer a child. I understand. You must forgive me. I’ve just waited so long to see you and hold you again.” She opened her arms and I scrambled to the end of the couch. Letting go of her was painful, but I felt that if I didn’t get a little distance, I would lose myself in her embrace.

“Where did you go?” I coughed out through my ragged breathing. She stood and straightened out her heavy blue dress. I was mesmerized by her beauty. She looked like a teenager with her creamy skin and ruddy cheeks. There wasn’t a blemish or wrinkle to mark her perfect complexion. Her eyes sparkled like the blue ice in
Alaska
, reminding me of the blue topaz ring that Dad had given me from my grandma Hayes.

My mother knelt and took my hands in hers. Her hands were delicate and her skin was as smooth as silk.

“Alex, these answers you seek will not be easy to hear. We need to leave now and go somewhere safer to talk. We have all the time in the world now. I’ll explain everything to you later, I promise.” She tried to pull me to my feet, but I struggled.

“I need to know.”

She let my hands go, and I put my head between my legs and held on to consciousness. I could hear her pace across the room. It seemed like forever before she spoke.

“
Alexandria
, you must know that I loved your father very much. Our souls were matched perfectly. I would have loved him forever, but he refused to embrace all that we could be. He didn’t understand the opportunities available to us. Together as immortals we could have been so happy, forever young and in love.”

I heard her footsteps cease and I brought my head up to look at her. She gazed out the window, seeming to look into the past rather than the night beyond the glass.

“An immortal found me. Of course I was drawn to him beyond reason.” She raised an eyebrow. “As I’m sure you can now understand.”

She knew I’d been contacted by an immortal, but how?

“I was obsessed with this being, and he with me. He filled my dreams with more excitement and passion than one lifetime could possibly hold. It’s an odd twist of fate, isn’t it? We’re supposed to be enemies, Dark Angels against the evil immortals.”

She dragged out the name. I could hear the irony in her voice.

“Yet we’re drawn to each other like a bee to a flower. I tried to be faithful, walk the right path, the path I chose when I married your father. A woman should be happy to be a wife and mother. All my friends were happy raising kids and living the American dream. We had a wonderful life, our home, two children that I loved with all my heart, but it wasn’t enough.”

She turned her pained gaze to me. “We’re not normal,
Alexandria
. We are more. Denying that will only bring you pain.”

Denying or not denying—I thought I’d had plenty of pain.

“I told your father of the immortal and of our heritage. He refused to accept the gift of immortality that I could offer him.” Anger flashed across her face. “Your father betrayed me.”

With a furious bellow and a speed that I could barely follow, she swiped her arm across the huge mantle. In a black and white blur, every decoration flew across the room and smashed against the opposite wall.

Still in shock, I barely flinched. The outburst over, my mother adjusted her dress and hair before turning back to me.

“He went to Beatrix,” she spat, “and she poisoned him against me. She never forgave me for being born.” Her face twisted in hate. “I was always a dirty secret, a constant reminder of her infidelity.”

She began to pace again. “The guilt over her affair with Aleksandr, her betrayal of her father, and that mark—” she pointed to my forehead, “caused her to hate me.”

My mother smiled deviously. “You know, after she found out she was pregnant, she tried to kill Aleksandr. Can you imagine?”

She seemed lost for the moment in her hatred of B, which gave me time to process. My birthmark had flared to life when she’d talked about it, but with its pain and itching came some clarity.

“
Alexandria
.” She knelt in front of me and rubbed my hand. “Forgive me. I couldn’t deny what I was any longer. If I had stayed with your father, I would have destroyed myself sooner or later. I had to leave, baby.” She searched my face for a reaction, but I was numb.

My father’s words echoed in my mind. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. The dagger burned my back.

“Why are you here now?” I wanted to understand this new reality, but I felt as if I was in a nightmare. The carrot—my mother’s love—dangled before me. I could easily get lost in the space that was opening to receive her love. Was that the stick?

“I’m here for you, to protect you.” One hand tentatively reached and caressed my face.

“I don’t understand.” I closed my eyes and leaned into her hand. I took a deep breath and filled myself with her presence. “If you loved me, why didn’t you take me with you?” Just forming the question was difficult.

“Oh, baby, I wish I could have, but it wasn’t possible.” Her thumb gently wiped a tear from my cheek. “In this world I must always keep our heritage a secret. If any of the ancient immortals knew about our family, they would kill us all. I had to leave to protect you and Dennis.”

She tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. “Only a few Dark Angels survived the original war. Saraiah was very efficient and killed any immortals that found out about us. But when he passed, Beatrix didn’t fully understand the danger. Aleksandr found her, and I believe he would have killed her if he hadn’t been so drawn to her. He couldn’t pass up the opportunity to continue his lineage.”

She chuckled and stood. “How ironic, don’t you think? Only a human woman with some Dark Angel blood can bear a child fathered by an immortal. The need to procreate is rooted deep in men.” Her smile returned as if she were telling a secret. “They are such easily mastered beasts.”

She grabbed my hand and squeezed the small cut made by the dagger.

“Ow!” I yelped and tried to pull away from her grasp, but she was deceptively strong.

“I just want to see how far he’s gotten. Hold still!”

“What are you—” But she’d already licked my finger, released me, and jumped across the room. Her eyes glowed, her nostrils flared, and her breathing came in bursts. I remembered William’s warning and stood up, backing myself toward the far wall closest to the door.

Zeke’s howl broke the silence and seemed to help Angelina get control of herself. I could see her eyes lose some of the lust and her breathing slowed.

“Come, it’s not too late. He has not contaminated you too much. We can still reverse it.” She was on me, grabbing my arm and tugging me toward the long hallway, before I knew what was happening.

“Wait!” I scrambled to make her let go, finally grabbing the doorway with my free hand. I had just enough strength to slow her down. “What do you mean, contaminated?”

She turned with venom in her eyes. “Don’t be difficult,
Alexandria
. I must get you out of here now! Beatrix’s people are on the way! And I’m sure your friend whom I can taste—” she raised my punctured finger, “is keeping a watch on you, too. I’ll explain everything later. Now we have to go.” She tried to pull me along.

I yanked my hand away from her.

“No, wait!” My head itched and the dagger burned so deeply into my back I was surprised she didn’t see the glow. “I was supposed to meet Ottie and Maloran here. Where are they?”

“
Alexandria
, we do not have time for this right now.” She tried to pull me again, but I held on.

“Where are they?”

“Dear, they were becoming a problem. Very stubborn, those two. They resisted every attempt I made to clean their minds.” She put her hands on her hips in a defiant stance. “I needed the extra strength tonight plus, I needed to clean up the last two witnesses, so this accomplished both tasks. Not to worry, I know how to clean up after myself; no one will ever link this to you. Now, we have to leave.”

“No, I need to see Ottie. He’s my friend.” Fear took hold. This. What does that mean. It can’t be too late, I prayed. There’s got to be something I can do. I could save them if I knew where they were.

She contemplated for a moment and then gave in. “Okay, but just for a moment. We really need to leave, baby.”

She took my arm and pulled again, but this time I let her lead me down the hall. “All the witnesses who knew of the Janeck murders had to be silenced, or someone else would come after you. I know now from the taste of your blood that I was right. You’re not safe here anymore. Too many immortals know of your presence.”

She pulled me through the door and the gold room sparkled. I was momentarily blinded by the glow and the memory of the couple’s murder.

“I thought it only fitting they should be in this room. Since this is where it all started, it should end here too.”

Her voice sliced through the golden glow. I leaned against the door for support. Ottie and Maloran were each lying in a pool of blood, still gripping their guns.

“I thought a murder suicide would explain their deaths, neatly.” She sounded as if she were just explaining the plot in a novel.

“Why did you have to kill them? Everyone else just forgot the murders. Why didn’t you just make them forget?”

Ottie’s eyes cracked open and a shallow cough escaped his mouth; blood gurgled out. He was still alive! But I was too slow. In the moment that I told my legs to move, she saw my reaction and stopped me.

“You’ll mess up the scene, and he’s gone anyway,” she yelled in my face. “There’s nothing you can do,
Alexandria
! I had to kill them! Don’t you see there couldn’t be any witnesses?”

Her hold on me tightened. “The Janecks got what they deserved. Probably their hired help turned on them. Then you took care of him. Everything was wrapped up except for these two.” She let go of my arms, but kept her position, blocking my way.

“These two.” She dismissed them with a wave of her hand, but I could hear the scorn in her voice. “Who would have thought that two such ordinary men could resist me? Dear, I really did attempt to help them forget,” she said as if that made everything okay. She shook her head; she really was confused.

I rocked a little on my feet, hoping to find a way to get to Ottie. But even though Angelina seemed lost in her explanation, she was quicker than I, stopping me again. My heart broke as Ottie’s body shuddered with another slight cough.

“I have to give your father credit.” She held her dress up daintily while she used her beautiful Victorian ankle boot to kick Ottie’s thigh. “He picked wisely with this one. What a tough bastard. I think he knew that I could enter his dreams. He fought me. He would not let me help him forget.” She turned back to me and brushed her dress back down.

“Normally, men are very happy to see me in their dreams. They think they’re having the best dream of their lives.” She smiled, reminding me of the Cheshire cat. “Even when I wrap their energy around my little finger, they beg me to stay.”

I stood frozen with fear. I can’t lose Ottie. When dad died, Ottie was there to fill that void. He’s my family. I had to do something for him.

A howl filled the silent night, reminding me of Zeke and why we were here.

“We really must go now,
Alexandria
.” I couldn’t take my eyes off Ottie and refused to be turned away. She grabbed my arm and spun me to face her.

“Now. Before your friends come in after you and Beatrix arrives.” She put her hand at the small of my back to move me toward the door.

I had only a moment to worry that she might find my dagger before she screamed and yanked her arm away.

“What have you done,
Alexandria
?” She held her arm out for me to see. Her dress was singed and her skin was blistered. I could just make out the shape of the circular part of the handle on the dagger before she pulled her arm back. Angelina grabbed me and shook me. “What have you done?”

The dagger throbbed and pulsed against my back. I reached behind me and pulled out the dagger. I held it close to my chest and watched as her eyes widened. Then she flew back, slamming into the wall. She closed her eyes and put up her arms as if the beautiful glow from the dagger was hurting her.

“What is that thing?” She put her hand down and felt along the wall. “Get rid of it!” She struggled to feel her way to the door.

I started to put the dagger down. As my hand lowered I realized what I was doing and I stopped. Not just because I liked the jewels or the glow, but because it was a part of me; part of my hand, my arm. The thought of letting it go felt like someone had just asked me to cut off my arm. I could not be separated from it.

“I…I can’t.” I stammered still trying to understand the irrational pain I felt at the thought of being separated from the long blade.

“What do you mean you can’t.” Put that down now and come to me!” I realized that distance seemed to affect the dagger—the further away Angelina was from me, the more diminished its brilliance. When she took a step toward me, the dagger burned brighter.

“Arggg!” The door frame cracked and splintered apart where she’d gripped it. Her anger and frustration were ruling her now.