Beautiful Beings (16 page)

“Have you ever tried sharing your experience with others?”

“The few times I did it was a disaster.  School mates thought I was nuts, teachers just looked at me funny and the principal thought I had a drug problem.  The only place I could truly open up and speak out about all I was going through was at home.”

“Your parents are remarkable.”

“Tell me about it.  I think I truly would have gone nuts had they not been so understanding. They’ve literally bent over backwards in order to make my life as normal as it could be under the circumstances… and that’s no easy feat.”

“How long did it take for you to stop being spooked by the whole thing?”

“The first angels I saw didn’t really spook me at all.  I mean, even if I was young, I knew I was facing something good and I didn’t really allow their intimidating size to… well, to intimidate me.  But the first demons I saw… that was a whole other story.  You know, you grow up fearful of monsters, of unimaginably ugly creatures, but nothing on this earth can prepare you for that first encounter with a demon.  Beyond the visual ugliness of these beings, it’s their vile nature, the depth of evilness that is what they innately are that is so repulsive and so frightening.”

“I can’t imagine being a little kid and having to face one.  I mean, I hate to admit it, but I wasn’t feeling too brave when I finally came to see that demon who attacked you the other day.  Not only did I have to deal with the disbelief, but then the thought of approaching that thing… Man, had it not been you in its clutches, I don’t think I would have done anything but run in the opposite direction.”

“Don’t underestimate yourself.  When faced with such evil, it’s surprising what we can do.  I remember the first time I saw one.  Before I even saw it, I could sense it.  The air chilled and a putrid scent wafted around me, something indescribable; something I’d never smelled before.  My skin still crawls when I think of it, but when I have to face such demons now, I’m filled with a degree of rage that leaves little room for fear of any kind.”

I caught the flash of surprise in his eyes.

“Their only purpose on this earth is to destroy all that is good and cultivate all that is evil.  That’s all I have to keep in mind when I face them.”

“It’s amazing you’ve not become more jaded with all these encounters with demons.  I admire you; your guts and courage.”

“Thanks. I actually surprise myself sometimes.  Just when I think I’ve seen enough, fought enough, I find a whole new wealth of strength and bravery.”

Brax pulled me to him and wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing me on the top of my head. “Knowing that you’re a demon hunter makes me love you even more, Lux. It’s so dangerous, yet you put yourself in the middle of danger to protect everyone else. I’m so proud of you. You know that, right?”

I nodded. I wouldn’t think anything less than acceptance from Brax. He was that good of a person that it was not surprising to hear he cared more for me for being me, freak and all. “Brax, I’m not the only one, though, who fights demons.”

“What?” Brax asked suddenly surprised. “There are more of us?”

“Yes…I’m not so sure he’s like us, though, because I think he’s supposed to be more like Lothario.”

“Who?” Brax asked. “Does he go to St. James? Is he someone I know?”

I swallowed. “Asher.”

Brax’s eyes widened. “Asher, Thrasher, Dasher…the bad boy on the bike.  Him?”

“Yes, he sees them, too, and I think it’s one step further. He’s supposed to protect me…like Lothario.”

Brax’s mouth opened to say, “Ah ha… so that’s why you’ve been, I mean Asher’s been…hanging out with you so much.” His eyes clouded over with jealousy. “He’s supposed to be your guardian, that’s all?”

“He also sketches angels and suddenly knows a lot about them,” I said. “He’s a good friend, Brax, and my mom loves having him come by for dinner.”

Brax’s jaw tensed, and he couldn’t help the jealousy that crept through his speech. “So he’s now part of the family…I see.”

“Brax…I’m not ready to be serious with anyone, and besides… Asher is just a good friend.”

“A friend who wants a lot more from you, Lux. I can see that as clear as day. And now he has the perfect excuse to hang out with you…your guardian!”

“He is, believe it or not,” I said. It can’t be helped that despite him being my guardian, we also shared an undeniable chemistry. I guess I must in order to be so intimately and intensely connected to anyone remotely like me. “Hey Brax, don’t worry. You know I cared a lot for you, too, right? Or I wouldn’t be spending all this time with you, and…” I kissed him long and slowly. “Showing you how much I cared, right?”

He kissed me back, but still looked worried. Suddenly remembering the surprise I had for Braxton, I jumped up, grabbed my purse from the table and came back to sit at his side.  “I almost forgot.  I brought something for you, something to give you a winning chance with your next encounter.”

He gave a light, chauvinistic huff and chuckled.  “I appreciate your confidence.”

“This isn’t a male female thing, Braxton.  Fighting demons doesn’t rely on brute strength alone. It’s something that comes from within. Your faith, your belief, your knowledge of who you are.  But…” I pulled out a thick platinum cross.  It was far too bulky for me to wear, but I’d always loved its strong gothic lines. “This weapon is crucial.”

He sat up to look more closely at the crucifix.  “Yeah, I saw what you did with a cross the other day.  You know, for a few days after that, I still tried to rationalize it all; you fighting, demons appearing then crumbling to dust.  I wanted to make sense of it, even tried to convince myself it was some type of dream.”

“I understand how you feel.  It’s not easy accepting this.”

“But it was that smell… the awful smell that filled my nostrils.  I could even taste it at the back of my throat.”

“Fighting demons isn’t pretty, and I have to warn you, you never get used to that awful smell.  If anything the death of that demon the other day didn’t leave behind the more pungent of odors.  I’ve smelled worse… much worse.”

“Thanks for the warning.”  He reached out to finger the crucifix and I saw his eyes light up the moment his fingers made contact.

Smiling, I set my free hand over his.  “You felt it, didn’t you?”

Surprised, yet clearly understanding what I meant, Brax gazed at me and nodded.

“That’s the faith I was telling you about. It’s always been in you, Braxton.” I released the chain, relinquishing the power of that crucifix.

Hearing footsteps from inside, we both stiffened and I noticed how his fingers instinctively wrapped around his new weapon.  He would make a fine warrior.

“I’m not ready to fight just yet,” he whispered as we stood.

“Stay close to me, Brax.” I led the way inside, more nervous about this fight than ever before.  Following the sounds of movement from the study, I inched my way closer, every step making me more and more apprehensive.  It was Brax, I suddenly realized.  My concern for his safety was hindering my capacity to think straight.

“Hold on, Lux,” Braxton said as he walked into the hall and stepped in front of me.  “I know you have more experience, but I can’t let you go in there before me.”

He entered the room and exclaimed, “Uncle?”

“Braxton!”

I could hear the nervous surprise in Dr. Kingsley’s voice as I wedged my way into the doorway and peered over Braxton’s shoulder in time to see Kingsley shelve an old tattered book.  I resisted the urge to stare blatantly at the book, to try to read the title from across the room, but took a mental note of its placement to get a better look later.

“I had no idea you guys were here,” Dr. Kingsley went on, his eyes shifting between Brax and me.  “I thought you had lacrosse practice or something.”  He gazed more pointedly at me.  “Hello, Lux.”

“Lux came over to study.  I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not.  In fact I’m happy to see you're spending so much time together.  St. James isn’t an easy school to acclimate to and I’m sure Lux, as well as her parents, appreciate all you’ve done for her.”

I smiled, pleased to see my presence wasn’t an intrusion.

“How do you like St. James, Lux?”

“I like it more and more, thanks to Braxton.  I’d be drowning in work if it weren’t for him.”

Dr. Kingsley offered Braxton an approving nod.  “That’s good to know.  Braxton has always been a responsible and reliable young man.  I knew he’d do a good job.”

“Thanks, Uncle, but it’s not really a job. I love being with Lux.”  The back of his hand brushed against mine and he shot me a look that anyone could see was a young man in love. “Truth be told, studying is just an excuse to spend more time with her. I love just hanging out with her.”

Our discreet touch went unnoticed while Dr. Kingsley turned his interest to another book on his desk.  He picked it up, tapped it affectionately, then walked around his desk.  Well, I’ll get out of your way and allow you guys to… hang out. I have a few things to attend to, like final preparations for the auction tomorrow night.  I need to peruse the finalized list of antiques that will be up for bidding.”

His gaze met mine as he came to the door.  “I trust I’ll see you tomorrow night, Lux.  This is to be a big night for your father, and I look forward to seeing you again.”

“That’s right,” Braxton said, barely containing the whine in his voice. “We have a charity ball at the Hatchett’s.  I’d almost forgotten.”

“It’ll be the biggest night of the year, Braxton.”  He patted his nephew on the shoulder as he walked on. “Many influential people will be there…”

Braxton and I remained silent as we listened to his uncle’s footsteps fade away. The silence became heated, weighted with the desire I felt for Brax, the need to get closer. 

“So you like hanging out with me?” I finally said.  I bit back on a smile, hoping to bring out a profuse blush in his cheeks.

It worked. His cheeks turned crimson, making me smile all the more. 

“I’m sure you're not surprised to learn this. I’ve been crazy about you from the very beginning.” He walked to his uncle’s desk, leaned back against it and held his hands out for me to come to him. My hands in his, he pulled me into his arms and let his fingers trace a path from my fingertips up to my shoulders. “I’m crazy about you, Lux. More than you know,” He whispered.

His lips pressed into the tender skin beneath my ear and I couldn’t resist turning to find his lips with my own.  I wanted his kiss, the warmth of his breath and the tickle of his tongue, and he willingly gave me it all.  My head spun, but, for the first time in a long while, there were no images of Moore.  The kiss belonged entirely to Braxton, and I wanted to revel in it.

Still clinging to him, my kisses trailed over to his cheeks as my gaze sought the book his uncle had so secretively set back on the shelf.  Most of the books were new, or at least clean and dust free, but this book had been old, faded and almost shabby in appearance.

And there it was, sitting between Jules Verne and Mark Twain; The Book of Angels. I wanted to reach out for it, to try to find the page Dr. Kingsley had been reading, and to discover the contents of such a book, but Braxton had other ideas.

“Come on,” he said, guiding me out of the study.  “I don’t want to risk my uncle hearing what I have to say.”

I set my curiosity aside and followed Brax outside where I quickly turned to him.  “What is it?”

“He doesn’t know.”

“About your visions?”

“Yeah.  He has no idea.”

“How can that be?”  My parents knew without my even telling them; then again, I’d been so young.  Perhaps I’d said something without even realizing it.  “Don’t you want him to know?”

He shook his head.

“Braxton, he’s your family.  You know I’ll always be there for you and you can talk to me about anything, but you need to have support from your family as well.  You need to have someone who’ll back you up.”

“I can’t, Lux.”  He gazed around, concern creasing his brow.  When he finally brought his gaze back to me, it was filled with suspicion and doubt.  “I don’t trust him.”

“Braxton.” I pulled back, surprised by his declaration.

He pulled me further out into the yard, held me close and spoke quietly. “I think he had something to do with my parents’ disappearance.”

I gasped, but said nothing as we continued to distance ourselves from the house. Only when Braxton stopped did I say, “How can you say that, Braxton?  He’s your uncle.”

“That’s just it.  Remember when I told you I’d never known him before?”

I nodded.

“I didn’t just mean he was some long lost uncle I’d never met, I mean, I’ve never even heard of him before.  He claims to be my father’s brother, but all my life, I’ve only heard my father speak of his sister.”

“Maybe they’d had a falling out and no longer spoke.  They wouldn’t be the first brothers to do so.”

Biting his lip, he shook his head and stared into the distance.  “I did a bit of research,” he said softly.  “I couldn’t find anything tying him to my family at all.  Nothing.”

“Braxton, if the authorities allowed him to become your legal guardian, they must have found some connection between the two of you.  Maybe you're mistaken and he’s not your father’s brother, but your father’s cousin.  Did you look that far?”