Divinity: The Gathering: Book One (63 page)

             
I retched as violent spasms of intense cramping and nausea gripped my insides, making me fall to my knees with a hand cupped over my mouth.

Cam gave me a worried look
, but not wanting to avert his attention completely away from the stranger at the door. Though he was blocking him from coming inside, the stranger had already managed to step just inside the doorway. He was looking directly at me now with the most gorgeous and perfect smile that I’d ever seen.

He was absolutely stunning
, but the more I looked at him, the more my body kept trying to force me to vomit…it was obvious what he was.

             
Someone was coming down the stairs, the footsteps light and quick, but I heard them and I turned to look towards the stairway, gasping for air to quell the sickening feeling overpowering me. I hadn’t thought anyone was here. Why would there have been? It was her, the girl from the Laundromat…or another fallen apparently, when I remembered what the air around her felt like.

I couldn’t stand straight in order to move or run on my own if I needed to, I felt so ill.

She moved swiftly towards me without a word, looking only once at Cam and the stranger at the door, before chanting something in a language I’d never heard before.

Immediately, I felt some sort of warm sensation envelope me like a blanket
, and she quickly hoisted me up to my feet, allowing my full weight on her. My feet barely moved as she swiftly brought me upstairs and into the room that Cam had originally told me to go to. I couldn’t even walk, but I didn’t need to. She was swift and strong, practically carrying me.

She led me to th
e bed and the door slammed shut firmly behind her on its own. I sat and watched as she went to the set of three large windows, and whispered more strange words, waving her hand to outline the shape of each window quickly. Her hand was a blur as she moved from window to window. The nausea was lessening now, but I still felt the twinge of sourness that made me thirst for fresh water. The room had been dim, but I thought Cam said the rooms were empty. He had apparently worked some lightning fast magic in the last few moments.

She turned on a lamp without touching it
, as if she had suddenly realized that I could barely see anything. The room appeared clean and brand new too; complete with king sized comfortable bed, sheets, and nothing more than a side table with a lamp.

I was in awe as I glanced around, my eyes finding hers again in wonder.

“You — you were at the Laundromat earlier,” I said first, admiring her curvaceous yet slim physique and long, jet black, straight hair.

“Yeah,
it’s nice to finally meet you. Sorry about the spider.” She then said as she leaned against the wall next to the window with her arms folded across her chest, and glancing out of it every now and then — watching or looking for something.

I pursed my lips and frowned at her.

I could hear faint voices downstairs, of Cam and the other being, but it was in a language that I couldn’t understand.

“You live here with him?” I then asked.

She smiled, “No, just dropping in for a favor.” She then said.

Being all that I knew now, I understood what she meant
, though I was still fascinated.

“I could use some water.” I said trying to muster enough saliva to swallow and get rid of the sour feeling in my stomach.

She sighed, reaching an arm up as if she were expecting to catch a fly ball, and then there was a sudden, soft, smack as her fingers curled around a water bottle that had apparently materialized from out of thin air to my unbelieving eyes and amazement. She stepped over to me and held the cold, brand new bottle of spring water out for me to take.

I was in shock, looking up at her unsurely.

“Oh I’m sorry, did you want imported?” She quipped sarcastically, seeing my hesitation.

“No. It’s fine, thanks,” I said and reluctantly took it, examining the contents and the seal on the cap for any tampering. I twisted the cap off and took my time before raising it to my lips
, and finally taking a long, refreshing much needed drink.

That was so much better.

It was cold and it tasted even better than regular spring bottled water.

I wondered if that was because she had magically
conjured it out of nothing right before my eyes.

Was this really water?

Oh well.

             
She sat down at the end of the bed and watched me as I downed half the bottle, before capping it and setting it back on the table next to the bed.

“What did you do to me down
stairs? I felt some kind of warm sensation,” I then asked her.

“It’s a spell of protection
, and it was just a safeguard,” She said.

“A spell? A safeguard against what?” I asked with wide eyes.

“I can’t tell you that,” She said as she got up and peered out of the window again.

“Does it have anything to do with the uninvited guest?” I then asked.

She laughed a bit, “Uninvited guest? That’s an understatement.”

“I guess he’s another fallen too then? One with bad intentions? What does he want?” I asked her
, feeling myself begin to tremble with fear.

“Another fallen…uh yeah, you could say that. As far as what he wants, I think that’s a little obv
ious,” She then said.

             
My eyes widened, the fear making my pulse race and my heart began to hammer hard in my chest, feeling as if it were in my throat.

She eyed me with a smirk, “Don’t worry, one day soon you’ll be able to kick his ass and any other fallen who tries to come at you…maybe.”

I gave her a questioning look of confusion.

              I heard sudden thumps, thuds and what sounded like glass shattering, and my reflex action was to jump up and run out to help.

“Chill. You’re acting as if there’s actually som
ething you could do,” She chuckled and shook her head, as if all that commotion and noise was nothing to be concerned about.

“Something’s going on! Cam could be
in trouble…” I said scooting off of the bed.

“And what are you going to do? Run out and get either taken or killed?” She then said.

She was right, but I couldn’t sit up here and do nothing, listening to what sounded like a big fight downstairs.

“Maybe he could use your help too,” I then said with worry.

She pursed her full lips, “Cam is fine, don’t worry about him.” She assured.

             
Surely just as soon as she had said it, the sounds of a fight had ceased, and it was quiet for a moment, which sparked more worry and fear in me in thinking something had happened to Cam.

“I don’t hear anything,” I was frantic
, as I went to the door and pressed my ear against it to listen.

There were voices, several of them. Deep voices, which told me they were male
, and they were all also speaking in the same strange language that I had heard earlier between Cam and that beautiful stranger.

“I hear several voices now. There are others here too. What’s going on? Who was that guy at the door?” I asked turning back to her.

“You certainly ask a lot of questions. I guess I can’t blame you, the lids already off the pot now thanks to Cam,” She mumbled the last part.

She studied me and it made me a tad uncomfor
table.

“So you’re a fallen too,” I stated more than asked.

She merely smirked at me.

“I’m Star. Sorry I didn’t introduce myself earlier. With the spider and all, it was a little off-putting,” I then said.

“I know who you are.” She replied nonchalantly.

“Oh. And you are?” I led on for her to tell me who she was.

“You don’t need to know, there’s no point.” She snapped.

Rude, I thought but I didn’t pursue it.

              She was leaning against the wall looking at her manicure as if she were bored, when her expression suddenly changed. She then moved lithely towards the door. It opened by itself and she stepped out into the hallway, “Come on,” She motioned with her head as if I should have been following her out.

             
I was nervous and afraid, wondering what happened, and if Cam was okay. I wanted to call out to him as we descended the stairs.

I wrinkled my brows, looking around. The living room was…as pristine and orderly as it had been when I first walked into it, nothing
was broken or in disarray at all. But it was warm and heavy with a layer of electricity and static lingering in the air. The sensation was a lot denser than it had ever been before, and that made it almost stifling.

There was laughter and rumbling, deep voices coming from the kitchen where she led the way
, expecting me to continue to follow her.

I did
— though cautiously, still wondering where Cam was, and when I entered the archway I stopped with stunned apprehension until I saw one familiar face.

My hair automatically frizzed, crackled and stood on end. I could only imagine what it looked like as I reached up to attempt to smooth it all down with no luck. The thin, silky material of my dress crackled and clung to me too, like fabric would
, fresh from a dryer with no dryer sheet.

There were five guys…or fallen
, and they were all the size of tall, muscular linebackers except with more girth and broader builds. They looked normal enough on the surface, like humans and they were all hovering over the food that Cam and I had brought back from the restaurant, gorging and smacking as if it was the last hot meal on Earth.

“You guys are pigs. Show a little class for a change,” The girl said.

“Class is my middle name hon.” The one with a perfectly cut, reddish brown, long mohawk that draped over to one side said, with a waggle of his thick brows at her.

“Short of two letters you mean,” she grumbled as she grimaced
, and rolled her amethyst eyes in response to his comment.

It sounded like thunder when the others laughed at her comeback.

“They should have marinated the lamb longer with more rosemary,” Ray then commented.

“It tastes good to me.
” the pale one with a platinum blond, crew cut replied, as he shoved a thick piece of beef into his mouth, and chased it down with a bottle of some kind of amber colored liquor, straight.

Suddenly
, they all stopped their bantering once I stepped fully into the kitchen. They all turned to look at me as if I were some strange alien. Initially, I felt the urge to run screaming from the house, especially when they all smiled at me. I couldn’t tell if it was friendly or diabolical in nature. My eyes instantly went to Ray, I should have known. Both he and Cam were good friends, which meant he was one of the good guys right? They all were — I think.

The long, dark haired one in the leather jacket grinned and nodded
, while gazing me up and down for a moment.

“Nice. Oh, sorry was the steak yours?” He asked with raised brows
, while pointing down at the demolished plastic containers our food had been in. He was pale, and he wore torn jeans and a studded leather decorated jacket with no shirt beneath, showcasing his cut abs, developed pecks — and no belly button.

His hair was long, straight and dark like the girl
, but his bangs were long and fringed cut, hanging past his eyes. He wore sunglasses, and from what I could see so far of his cut, square jawline… he was good looking. They all were, which further shattered the pre-misconceptions and images that I had of them through tales and dreams about shadows, demons and fallen angels. No one had hooves, tails or horns.

I was searching for wings
, or some evidence of that on each of their backs, but I didn’t see any offhand in plain sight. Unless this was all glamour, and that had me thinking that if it was…what did Cam really look like then?

Not that it would change who he was to me and how I saw him now.

“No, uh — help yourself,” I said unsurely while looking over at the girl who simply smiled as she sipped a cup of something, and enjoying my reactions.

He wiped his hands on his ripped jeans and held it out to shake with a perfect, playboy smile.

Did he have…fangs? Like Vampire fangs?

I didn’t discount my eyes or that possibility given everything that was happening
, and what I now knew about Cam.

“I’m Ry, very nice to meet you.” He said in a player like manner.

I shook his hand and smiled, “Star.” I said trying to glimpse his teeth again.

The M
ohawk haired one then chuckled and pointed at me. “A little conditioner might help that,” He mused with a nod to my hair, and the platinum blonde one looked at me then, as they both chuckled.

I made another attempt to smooth my hair self-consciously again.