Angel's Kiss (8 page)

“Aren’t you meant to be on patrol?” I asked.

“I’ve let my superior know that I’m going to investigate some unusual activity in the area. Over the last millennium, some of us have been given a reasonable amount of freedom to pursue monsters as well as demons. As long as it’s evil, and not mortal, they’re not too fussed.”

“Does that mean I could be on another angel’s hit list?” I shivered at the thought.

“Do you think you’re evil?” Danny asked, looking at me with a strange fascination.

“I don’t
feel
evil, but if I’m a monster, aren’t I automatically classified as evil?”

“Yes, that’s true, although I think it’s wrong. You are living proof that it’s wrong. I can’t sense any evil in you at all. I do have a theory, though. You haven’t fed on a mortal yet, which is why I believe you’re not truly evil.”

“Yet?” I asked incredulously.

“Apart from the mortal behind the counter at that burger place, you haven’t had any contact with mortals. There’s always the possibility you might decide to try it — feeding on a mortal.”

I was shocked. What would have happened to that poor kid if I’d decided to make him my first meal? Was I really capable of that?

Danny read the expression on my face. “I would have killed you before I let that happen.”

It was nice to know that if I really was a monster Danny would dispatch me quicker than I could say
dinner’s on
. Although I doubted that if I changed and became evil I’d simply let him kill me. Surely I wouldn’t go down without a fight.

Danny held out his hand. “Come on, let’s go.”

I slid my hand into his and tightened my grip. His hand was still warm and strong — not rough like a labourer’s, or cold like a vampire’s. I liked the feel of my hand in his.

We walked side-by-side. This time I kept my eyes open to take in the entire experience. The world around me began to fade out and a kaleidoscope of dazzlingly bright colours — all the colours of the rainbow and more — faded in, surrounding us. It was like walking into a tunnel of shifting, living colour.

The wow factor really hit me and I drew in a sharp breath. Danny squeezed the hand he was holding reassuringly, though I wasn’t disoriented or frightened. The colours, bright as they were, had a calming and peaceful effect on me. I was entranced, almost to the point of being hypnotised. We were in the tunnel for roughly ten seconds, at a guess, when the colours began to fade out. The clearing in the forest, where Danny had found me, started to fade in. I was sorry to see the colours go.

“That was
amazing,
” I said excitedly, “but it took a long time for four steps.”

“Time slows down when we’re travelling. In reality, less than a second has passed. In the beginning, some angels had difficulty travelling when their surroundings changed without some sort of transition, hence the
beatific splendour,
or
the lights,
as they’re commonly known.”

I shuddered as I remembered what had happened here, in this clearing — another brush with death.

“What happened to the body?” I asked. “Scavengers?”

“No. Scavengers feed on fresh meat or carrion. Vampires don’t fall into either category. Even scavengers, crazy with hunger, have enough sense not to touch them.”

“So where’s the body?”

“His companions probably took him with them.” Danny knelt down and brushed his hand over the grass. “Yes, someone definitely took him. They’ve tried to cover their tracks. However, their scent has left a trail that we can easily follow.”

Danny stood up and pointed in an easterly direction. “We head that way.”

He started off at what seemed a leisurely pace for him. His stride was long and I struggled to keep up on the uneven ground. I really had to concentrate on where I was stepping. It would do no good to twist an ankle.

“Wait up!” I yelled out.

Danny stopped and turned to see how far behind I was.

“About a kilometre away there’s a ravine. The scent seems to lead there. We can slow down from here.”

About time!
I thought, but only nodded and trudged on.

The terrain was getting rockier and the trees began to thin out slightly. Dust motes floated lazily in the air, glistening like diamonds as the sun shone through the canopy. I imagined all kinds of faerie folk dancing around the trees, playing hide and seek. Certainly not monsters stalking the shadows.

The ravine loomed up ahead.

“We’ll need to jump,” Danny said. “I’ll go first.”

Danny ran the few metres to the edge of the ravine and jumped gracefully over to the other side. I scrambled to catch up and lost my footing at the edge. Danny reached out to grab my arm, but I was already falling down into the ravine. I came to a stop, quite abruptly, on a rocky outcrop that may once have been the bottom of a waterfall — a cracking noise as my head hit a rock echoed within the ravine. Pain flared behind my eyes, blinding my senses.

“Hang on,” Danny called out.

I wasn’t going anywhere. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t think, I could barely breathe.

I felt Danny’s presence rather than seeing him. The pain was so great I couldn’t open my eyes. Or were they open and I was blind?

“It hurts,” I whispered.

“I don’t understand,” Danny mumbled. “Why are you bleeding? Why aren’t you healing?”

“
The pain!
” I screamed through clenched teeth. “
Do something!
”

I managed to open my eyes and was glad to know I was not blind. Everything was very blurry, but I could see. Danny ran a hand through his hair as he assessed my broken body.

“Keep still,” he said. “I can help.”

Danny cupped his hands and held them over my bleeding forehead, palms down. I thought I saw them glow as he concentrated and channelled his energy. Nothing else happened.

“I don’t understand. Why can’t I
heal
you?”

“I’m going to pass out,” I mumbled, and my world went black.

“Wake up, Helena. You can’t go to sleep.” Danny tapped the side of my face lightly. “Wake up.”

“I’m awake,” I murmured, though wished I wasn’t.

“Helena, I’m going to cause you some pain, and for that I’m truly sorry. I need to get you back to the cottage.”

Danny carefully placed one arm under my knees and the other arm under my back. He lifted me gently, fluidly, and clasping me closely to his chest took the four steps necessary to transport us back to the cottage. We arrived directly in the bedroom, which was the closest thing I could call to a room of my own.

Danny lowered me to the bed and I felt him stiffen as I cried out in pain. He cupped his hands again and tried once more to heal me, to no avail.

“Let me try something else.”

His hands, still cupped, drifted slowly over my body without making contact. We heard cracking and grinding noises. Danny looked at me and smiled, relieved.

“Broken bones I can heal, it seems, but not the gash in your forehead. I’ll have to clean that up the same way mortals do.”

Danny looked at the bedside table and a bowl of warm water, towels, antiseptic and bandages miraculously appeared. It seemed he didn’t feel the need for theatrics. Perhaps it was simply because I wouldn’t be able to fully appreciate it in my present condition.

Where angels tread miracles occur,
I thought.

“This will hurt.”

He dipped one of the towels into the bowl and wrung out the excess water before gingerly cleaning the dirt out of my wound. He took his time, trying not to hurt me any more than was necessary, all the while talking to me about anything he could think of.

“When I first saw man take to the sky in a machine shaped like a bird, I knew that the times were changing. It’s only a matter of time before our worlds collide and mortals realise that the stuff of dreams and nightmares is real.

“You know, when I think back to Noah and his ark, it was quite a hilarious sight to see all those animals lining up to be saved, predators
and
prey. Of course, not
all
of the animals
were
saved. Some were too savage to cooperate even if it meant the survival of their species. I’ll bet you’ve never heard of skryvens and drasnos — two very nasty species. Between them, they were responsible for causing the extinction of three other species.”

Not unlike man,
I thought.

“What did those things look like?” I asked, my head pounding.

“Nothing special. Skryvens were about the size of a brown bear and had three rows of razor sharp teeth. Like a chameleon, they could blend into their surroundings, which made it very difficult for their prey to see them. Drasnos had hook-shaped claws, with a barb on the end — very similar to what fishermen use — on all six of their paws. They were very lean and built for speed, the same colour as the grasses in a savannah. They had the uncanny ability to feel which way their prey was headed. Both species were brutally savage and hunted for pleasure as often as not.”

Danny hadn’t actually described what they’d looked like. Instead he’d given me an overview of their natural weapons and abilities. It didn’t matter. I wasn’t really interested. I just appreciated the distraction.

“They sound like they’d have made good pets,” I laughed weakly.

“Maybe for monsters, not mortals,” Danny replied seriously.

“Could I maybe have some painkillers for my head, please? It’s like having a headache on steroids.”

“I don’t think that’s a wise idea. Given you can’t keep food or water down mortal medications wouldn’t work. You’d be in more pain bringing it up than the drugs managed to dull.”

I sighed. He was probably right. Perhaps I could sleep for a few hours. The pain might have lessened when I woke up. I closed my eyes.

“Don’t go to sleep,” Danny warned me. “I don’t know how your body will react if you have a concussion.”

I reached up to gently massage my temples and winced when I touched the right side of my head. Danny pulled my hands away and laid them on my abdomen.

“You need a delicate touch for such a tender area,” he said. He lightly placed the tips of his fingers on either side of my head and began to gently massage.

“That’s really nice, but if you keep doing it I’m going to fall asleep.”

He let his fingers slide down the side of my face to my chin before pulling them away.

“I need to do some research. Amongst other things, we need to find out why you can’t heal yourself. I understand the broken bones. Until you come into your full strength you can still break reasonably easily, but you should be able to speed up the healing process. Once you’re at your peak it will take a lot to break you. Even if you do break, the healing process will be almost instantaneous. As to the gash in your forehead … this is something new and unknown to me, perhaps related to the pumping of your heart.”

“If I stay here I’ll fall asleep. I understand why I can’t come with you, but I need something to keep me occupied while you’re gone that doesn’t require me to concentrate. I think if I have to focus on something my head will explode.”

Danny rubbed his chin, his eyes thoughtful, yet far away.

“Got it!” he smiled, clicking his fingers. “You can go for a wander in the garden.”

“What garden? There’s only grass and trees outside.”

“Not anymore,” he grinned. “Come and I’ll show you.”

He held his hand out to help steady me as we walked to the front door. The door opened before we reached it and I couldn’t see the grass for the garden. Flowers, shrubs, fruit trees and berry bushes of all types and description, most of which didn’t flower at the same time, yet were flowering for me.

“Wow, how did you do that?”

“Angel, remember,” he said.

I knelt to smell the freesias, one of my favourite flowers. While many of the freesias were brightly coloured and lightly scented, refracta alba, with its creamy pale yellow colouring, was my absolute favourite, its perfume divine. It reminded me of spring — days getting longer and warmer, the harshness of winter over.

Danny knelt next to me. He gave my arm a gentle, reassuring squeeze, his lips lightly brushing my temple.

“Enjoy! I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

He stood and walked away. Instead of watching him leave I immersed myself in the delights of the garden he had created for
me,
and me alone. No one had ever done anything so beautiful for me before. I was overwhelmed by the generosity of the gift he seemed to think nothing of — a trifling thing for an angel, a big thing for a girl who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks.

I meandered slowly through the garden, stopping to smell various flowers or marvel at the vivid colours and delicate petals. I crushed berries between my fingers to release their sweet mouth-watering fragrance. My mouth didn’t actually water, but my nose enjoyed their scent all the same.

I sighed, coming to the realisation I’d probably never eat food again. All the comfort foods I’d enjoyed, both sweet and savoury, that I could never have again. If everything tasted metallic or like cardboard I wouldn’t even be able to savour the flavour, then spit it out — like wine connoisseurs did. I knew I would miss these small pleasures.