Mercy for the Fallen (7 page)

“For what it’s worth, I think you’re right.”

“I’ll bet.”

“No really,” he said earnestly.  “Unless you’re sure it’s what you want with your whole heart, you shouldn’t do it.  And he shouldn’t push you to do something you don’t want to do either.”

“What are you talking about?  You push me to do things I don’t want to all the time.”

“No, I push you to do things you
want
to do but shouldn’t.  There’s a difference.”   The smirk was back, and this time I let myself smile in kind. 

“Fair enough.  I do love him though.  And it would make him so happy if I said yes.”  Maybe I was worried about nothing?  I did want to be with Parker, no matter how tempting the illusion of being with Adam was sometimes.  In so many ways Parker was the better man.  He never pushed, well… except for the whole marriage thing.  He never left me feeling shattered and alone.  He was always there for me, and more importantly, for Eve.     

“You know, there’s one thing you should consider before you decide whether to do the deed or not,” Adam said, drawing me from my reverie.

“What’s that?”

“This.”  All at once he reached for me, his hand slipping under the base of my neck, binding me to him as his lips covered mine.  Surprise stole my breath and in that instant he seized the advantage, his tongue sweeping out to meet mine as he took possession of my mouth.  I’d almost forgotten the taste of him.  It sparked the memory of bare skin sliding on tangled sheets, of cries in the darkness, lit only by the soft glow of our Grace.  I opened my eyes to see that Grace burning between us now as he pulled me closer.    

I was strong enough to break away from him, but I didn’t.  I let him kiss me.  No, that’s not right.  I didn’t
let
him do anything, I kissed him back.  My fingers threaded through his dark hair, holding tight as a longing so deep… I hadn’t realized it still existed, clawed its way to the surface. 

Adam was the first one to pull away, and it took everything I had in me not to chase after his lips.  I sat there, appalled by my weakness, the telltale shame of my desire burning like a flame all over my skin.  I saw it all over him too and I wondered why he’d stopped the kiss when it was so clearly what he wanted. 

A myriad of expressions crossed his face then but I wasn’t able to decipher them all before he found his smirk again.  “This isn’t going to just go away, no matter what you tell yourself.  The next time you’re with Parker you’re going to be thinking about that kiss.”  Adam’s voice dropped, low and intimate; it caressed me as surely as any touch on my skin.  “And when you fall asleep tonight, it’ll be me you’ll dream of in your bed above you, my hands on your soft, silky skin, the taste of my mouth against yours, and my name on your lips the moment you find your sweet release.”  His lips curved into a wicked grin.  “I’ll go now, but this isn’t over, not by a long shot.” 

My eyes had fallen shut at the sound of his voice, almost hypnotic in its tone.  Was this what it was like to feel the pull of the Grace allure?   With a blink I realized he’d stopped speaking and was no longer on the bed beside me.  Cheeks burning with shame, I closed the open window and climbed into my cold bed.  Sleep was a long time in coming…

Chapter Seven

I rolled over, my eyes lighting upon the bare form stretched out beside me.  God, he was more gorgeous than any man had a right to be.

“So, you’re finally up.”  He smiled, leaning over to press a kiss to my shoulder. 

“Maybe if you hadn’t kept me up so late…” I said, turning to catch his lips before he pulled away.  Only too happy to oblige, he leaned in for a slow, leisurely kiss.  A few moments later he pulled back, a lazy smile on his face.  

“I’m pretty sure you were the one keeping me up,” he smirked, and I grinned back, giving his neck a playful nip. 

“I didn’t hear you complaining.” 

“Oh, it’s like that is it?”  He gave a bark of laughter, pushing me back and mimicking the love bite, his teeth grazing lightly over the tender skin behind my ear.  “I’ll give you something to complain about…” he growled, his voice rough with desire. 

“Never…” I breathed, my hands sliding up his muscular arms, nails biting into his flesh as he settled between my thighs.  How could I ever complain about this? 

“Tell me you love me,” he demanded at my ear, his movements slow and deliberate, designed to drive me crazy with need.

“I love you,” I gasped, teeth scraping at his shoulder.  It felt like he wanted to consume me, body and soul. 

“Me.  Tell me you love me,” he insisted.

“Yes.”  My voice broke on a cry of pleasure.  “I love you, Adam…” 

I woke with a start, my body covered in a fine sheen of sweat, hands fisted in the sheets as I came to my senses. 

It was just a dream.

My ears still rang with the sound of my name on Adam’s lips, but there was no one there but Parker sleeping beside me.  My body still throbbed with unreleased pressure and as I rolled over, I imagined I could still feel his hands on me.  Gooseflesh erupted over my skin as I remembered the sound of his voice at my ear, dark with desire.  The way our bodies moved together…  it was enough to send the faintest glow over my skin as I couldn’t help but mix the memory of the dream with the last time we’d been together.  Christmas Morning.  Right after he’d proposed.  It seemed like a lifetime ago.  I forced a deep, cleansing breath. 

It was just a dream.

No reason to feel guilty, right?  Nobody had control over their dreams, it was just one of those things.  It’d been more than two weeks since that kiss and I hadn’t been close to repeating it once since then.  It didn’t mean anything.

It was just a simple dream.

So why then did I feel so sick with loss as reality sank in?  Part of me wanted to get up and take a shower, wash away the last vestiges of the dream and get my head back on straight.  Parker lay beside me, oblivious to my shame spiral.

But part of me wanted to close my eyes and chase the tail end of the dream where Adam waited for me. 

“
Merceline.
”

The sound of my name had me sitting bolt upright in bed.  All at once I knew it’d been that voice pulling me from the intense dream.  And it wasn’t Adam’s voice at all, it was Gabriel’s.  The voice only I could hear as Clarion.

“What is it?” Parker murmured, his head lifting from the pillow when I swung my legs out of bed.

“I have work to do.”

“Now?  It’s the middle of the night.”

“Somehow I don’t think that matters to them.”  I pointed skyward.

“Oh, that work.”  He sank back against the pillow, his arm falling across his forehead.  I knew he didn’t like it when I went off on these things.  I’m not sure what he thought went on, but it was mostly like being an errand girl.  I had to relay a message to someone.  Usually another angel, but sometimes to a human and I got to play angel myself.  That was kind of fun, I admit.  But mostly it was boring, especially when it was for a gathering of angels and I had to act as translator for Gabriel.

“I’m sorry.  Hopefully it won’t take that long.”

“Can’t you go in the morning?”

“I have to think it’s pretty important or he wouldn’t be calling me before the crack of dawn.” 

“
Merceline
.”  The call came again.

“I have to go, he’s waiting for me.”  I wished I had time for a shower.  I still felt tingly after that dream, and it was a little weird going to meet an archangel in my current state.  I tugged on a pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt, looking around for a scrunchie to pull back my tangle of hair.

“It’s just Gabriel though, right?”

“I don’t know.  It might be a meeting, or it’s anyone’s guess.”

“But no Adam?”

So that’s what was bothering him.  Ordinarily I might be a little annoyed, but the tail end of that dream still had my guilt kicked into high gear.  I sat down on his side of the bed, my fingers brushing across the rasp of his cheek.  “I highly doubt it.  The Fallen are
persona non grata
at these things.”

Parker grabbed my hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it.  “Promise me you’ll be careful?”

“Always,” I smiled, cupping his cheek.  “I love you.”

“Love you too, darlin’,” he smiled back, eyes closing with exhaustion.  I sat there for long moments watching him sleep until I heard Gabriel’s call again and snuck out of there, shoes in hand. 

I had no idea where to find Gabriel, but as I stepped out onto my back porch and unfurled my wings, I let instinct take over, trusting it to lead me in the right direction.  Right off the bat I could tell he was in the city proper, not the park where I first saw him, or up in Heaven.  Could I even hear him if he called me from Heaven? 

“
Merceline…
”

The call sharpened my sense of direction, leading me to Smith Tower, one of the tallest buildings in the city.  At that hour of the night the place was deserted, and it was easy to spot his golden glow on the observation deck on the thirty-fifth floor.  The archangel Gabriel looked out over the slumbering city, a melancholy cast to his shoulders.  Or maybe that was me reading my own emotions into it. 

I came to a soft landing beside him, tucking away my wings so they wouldn’t get in the way.  “Hey, Gabe, how’s it going?” I called out.

“It goes well, Merceline.  Thank you for coming.”  When he looked up at me, there was a smile of genuine pleasure on his lips, and no sadness lingered in his bright blue eyes.  As with all angels, Gabriel was a good looking guy, with dark, wavy hair and broad shoulders, but there was always an air of gravity about him.  It was nice to see him bust out a smile every now and then, and I worked hard to keep it there. 

“And how’s the Big Kahuna?” I raised my eyes skyward, gratified to hear his deep chuckle. 

“We would all feel it should He fare poorly.” 

That was a scary thought.  Was that where earthquakes came from?  Did an upset stomach turn into volcanoes?  Would an emotional funk send us rain for forty days and forty nights? 

“So, what’s up?  Who are we going to visit tonight?  Is it a solo gig or another angel jamboree?”  It’d been at least six months since the last one. 

“I won’t be accompanying you tonight, and this is a… solo gig.  You have only to pass along a message.”  Once again I was struck by the sound of his voice, deep and even as though he spoke all the time.  It was weird to think I was the only one who could hear him, even among angels. 

“Okay, lay it on me.  What’s the message?”

“You are to search out the Fallen and instruct him that his petition has been heard on high.” 

That sounded interesting.  “Which Fallen?”

“Samael.”

“Sam sent a petition to Heaven?  What for?”

“That is not for you to know.  Simply instruct him thus – he is to begin his quest and speak of it to no man.  Only God may judge when it has been completed, and only God will judge if he is worthy.” 

“That’s it?  That’s all you want me to say?”

“That is all.  Do you accept the charge?”

“Sure, of course.  No problem.  I’m the man for the job.”  I hadn’t once considered saying no to playing messenger of God.  It might get old after a century or two, but for the moment, I still found it interesting.  “I don’t suppose you know where he is though?  He’s been sort of remote lately.”

“He lies within the Garden of Eden.”

“Ah… that explains it.”  I supposed it was as good a place as any to get over a broken heart.  Hadn’t Adam said he liked to go there and think sometimes?  I couldn’t imagine a more peaceful place.  “Alrighty then, I’ll pop over there and deliver the message.  Anything else?  Any other advice from on high?”

“That is all.”  He smiled softly, his eyes turning skyward and I placed a hand on his arm before he could take off. 

“Hey, before you go.  I had this weird guy hanging outside my house.  He said he’d been visited by an angel of the Lord.  Is there any way to find out who talked to him, or if he’s a nutbar?” 

“There have been no visitations from our side, I would have authorized it.”

“That’s what I thought.  At this point I’m kind of thinking it came from the other place.”  I pointed downward. 

“It’s possible.  He has appeared to many over the years to forward his own agenda.”

“This agenda involves recruiting an army to keep Eve safe.”

“That is most curious,” he frowned.  “I shall take this under advisement.”

“What should I do in the meantime?”

“Try not to worry,” he smiled, giving me a kindly pat on the shoulder.  There is nothing in prophecy to indicate she will come to any harm while she remains a child.”

“Whoa, back up a sec – but not when she grows up?”

A pained look flit across his face.  “I must go.”

“Wait… I’d like to hear these prophecies that have to do with my daughter.”

“Fear not, Merceline.  The future remains uncertain.”  With that he launched himself into the air, moving so fast he disappeared from sight within the space of a few seconds. 

The future remains uncertain.  Swell.  Why didn’t that inspire confidence?  I did feel better about the chance to see Sam again, only now I had to figure out how to get to Eden.  I had a way to get there, of course, but it’d been three years since my one and only trip there, and I wasn’t sure I knew exactly how to get back there again. 

Of course there was one person who knew the way.   One person who probably wouldn’t mind if I called him at zero dark hundred either. 

I wasn’t using this as an excuse to call Adam. 

Nope. 

I had a legitimate need.  At least that’s what I told myself as I pulled the scrunchie out of my hair and finger combed my dark tresses.  Instead of calling for Adam into the air, I tried the old fashioned way, with my cell.  I didn’t want to give him the impression it was an emergency and that way if he was busy, I wouldn’t be disturbing him.

He answered after the first ring though.  “Late night taco run?  I’m in.”