Riss (3 page)

“
I guess.” She looked at him with such sadness that he wanted to comfort her. “I don’t suppose you know if anyone is hiring where you work, are they? I just lost my job.”

“
I will have to check.” She nodded and stood up. When she came back with a five-dollar bill he told her he could not take it. “It is against our company policy.”

“
Please take it. You don’t have to tell anyone. You’ve given me the best possible news today in the form of money. Please let me show you how grateful I am.” He nodded and took the money, then simply put it back into her purse without her knowledge. With his magic, he was able to see that the five-dollar bill she’d given him was all the cash she had. It saddened him to think of how much she’d suffered recently and would in the very near future.

Michael left her a few minutes later
after making sure she was going to be all right. She had gone through all the emotions that a human could possibly go through, and yet she’d never been angry at him. When she’d cried, he had to leave her. Waiting for the elevator to come, he reached for his boss.

“
I have given her the money. I believe she will use it wisely.”
He agreed that she would as well.
“When will we have Riss see her? I’m hoping soon. I believe it will do them both a great deal of good to be together.”

“
He will need to wait until she needs him again. I hate to say this, but as you know, something more in her life happens soon and she will be in a place where he can help her the most. She has to need his strength, and right now she doesn’t.”
Michael stepped into the yawning doorway and moved to his own realm. His boss was waiting for him. “You have her touch, then?”

Michael put out his hand and He took it. There was a look of pure joy on
His face and he smiled at Him. “It was enough?”

“
It was. She is a hellion I think. Very set in her mind how things should go. I will enjoy watching the two of them figure this out.” Michael nodded. “You do not approve, do you?”

“
I’m not sure. Riss is a wonderful man, and I enjoy his company a great deal. But will this make more of our kind wish to quit us?” Boss, what everyone here called the man in charge, shook his head. “How can you be so sure?”

“
Everyone who sees Riss loves him. He has his troubles. What man does not? He is playful when need be, and serious as well. All who will be privileged to know about this will wish him well. The rest….” Boss shrugged and turned toward His office. “You will watch over her until she is ready for him.”

“
Of course. I’m on my way to see Tholan now to put her on the list.” Nodding to him, Boss sat in His chair. “How much will he need to know?”

“
Nothing of what we’ve done. Tholan is a good man and a very faithful one. He will not question what you tell him.” Michael wasn’t so sure about that but said nothing. “Tell him to add her to the roster, but have Arryn watch her first. After a time, Riss will come to her. Make sure that you keep an eye on her on the seventh. Riss should be with her then, but make sure if he is not, then you are.”

Michael nodded and went to see Tholan. He was sitting at his desk where he always was
, but this time instead of burying his head in the computer, he was staring out the window again. Michael had a feeling that Tholan was no happier with his job then Riss and a few others were. It saddened him very much.

“
I have a name that I’d like rotated in to the new schedule.” Tholan looked at him blankly for several seconds before nodding. “Her name is Kala Marrow, and she is to be with Arryn first, then the rest of the rotation.”

“
She is how old?” Michael told him she was twenty-seven. “I’ll put her in starting tomorrow. I’ve decided to rotate them every sixty days, then work up to the ninety. That way they will have just enough time to help but not grow overly fond of them.”

“
You do not approve of this, do you, Tholan?” When he started to protest, Michael held up his hand. “It’s all right that you don’t. It means that you’ll work twice as hard to make it work because you think it will fail. There is a reason for all we do, and there is one for this. Have faith in us.”

“
I have faith, but this will be harder on them than simply helping one person. We have nine of them now with Miss Marrow, and each of these humans will die before someone will be added in. What will they do if several are to go at once? We have four on this list now that are around the same age.”

Michael knew that it would
indeed happen. He alone, besides Boss, knew the dates when the humans would die. It was decided the day they were born. Their entire lives were mapped out and kept secret until such time that their protector would need to help them cross over. But he couldn’t share this with anyone. It just wasn’t done. After making sure that Kala was added to the list, he and Tholan parted ways. He knew the man was frustrated, but there was little he could do about it now.

Going back to his office
, he detoured to see if he could speak to Riss again. When he neared his door, he was stopped by Galin. This man made Michael laugh more than anyone he knew.

“
Did you know that there is a joke about the chicken crossing the road? And another about who came first, it or the egg? Who cares if the chicken has an unhealthy compulsion to get across the street, I ask you? And why do humans have such an obsession with chickens? There are chicken wings that they eat, as well as any number of sandwiches and restaurants devoted solely to the consumption of them.” Galin shook his head, leaning close to whisper. “I do believe at one time someone actually deviled them.”

Michael stared at him
, confused. “Why on earth would you start a conversation like that? Do you have nothing better to do with your time than to think up things such as this?”

“
Nope.” Michael felt his laughter burble up. “I do believe that you needed a laugh, my good friend, and what better way to have it happen than to talk about chickens? Oh, and in the event you’re wondering, the chicken came first, there are a great many reasons why he crossed the road, and for the record, I love deviled eggs.”

Michael laughed
, which Galin was correct about…he did need it. “When will you grow up? I’m not sure you should ever be released on the unsuspecting humans. I do believe you’re going to be something of an oddity to them.”

“
Actually, I’m quite tame in comparison.” He glanced at Riss’s door before he continued. “I’ve just been to see Riss. He is not home. I heard that he’s gone to earth for a few days, something about him seeing the exhibition at the green house in Columbus, Ohio.”

Michael nodded and walked down the hall beside
Galin. “I guess you’ve heard about the new rotation? It’s said to make it so that one protector is no longer responsible for the life of a single human.”

“
I have. Not sure how that will lessen our pain, but I’m not in it, so I’m not worrying.” Michael knew that he would be before it was ended. “Do you suppose that’s why Riss has been so standoffish? That he is in the rotation?”

“
I believe so.” Michael sat at the table in the cafeteria and was brought a glass of water, as well as a bagel with creamed cheese. “He will be sharing the burdens of others. It will help somewhat, I think.”

“
Doubtful. It hurts a great deal, as you know, to have to bring one over. I’m not looking forward to my charge leaving. He’s been a real hoot.” Michael nodded, not sure what “hoot” really meant.

After a nice breakfast full of good food and company, he and
Galin parted ways. In four days, his charge would be coming to them, and then Galin would have his month to rest. After that, he, too, would be put into the rotation. Michael just hoped this was a good idea.

Chapter 3

“I don’t understand.” She looked at the paper again. “This says that you’ve given me notice prior to this. I’ve never received anything.”

“
Be that as it may, miss, you have fifteen days to get out of the building before the construction starts.” The man took the sheet of paper back and showed her where to sign. Riss wanted to go to her, the need to comfort so strong. He moved closer to her and leaned into her small frame. He could smell her perfume.

“
I’ve never…where am I supposed to go?” The man shrugged at her, and Riss found the sudden urge to hit him. The feeling had never entered his body before, and he actually kind of liked it. But he looked at Kala again, and his heart ached.

After the man left her
, she went into the kitchenette to sit down. Riss went with her and stood watching her. He could feel her sorrow and pain and wanted very much to help her. Thinking about what Arryn had told him about her so far, he wondered how much more the poor girl could take and moved closer to talk to her.

He really didn
’t
talk
to her as much as encourage her. Just whispering in her ear to have faith and to keep her chin up had worked so well for him before with humans. Riss leaned close to her and sniffed again. Her perfume smelled like his small garden…fresh and warm even in the winter time.

“
You’ll be fine. Keep your faith and things will improve.” Her snort startled him, but he continued. “Things are always looking up.”

“
Since when?” He took a step back at the anger in her voice. “No matter how hard I try, I keep getting the shit knocked out of me and I have to start all over again. Well, I’m sick to death of it.”

He started for her again when she stood up and started pacing. The anger in her body made her rigid and her footsteps firm. Riss was amazed at how beautiful she looked
, and wished for the first time in his life that he was a human so he could tell her so.

“
There are any number of reasons I should simply take a knife and cut my wrists open. If I wasn’t so afraid of the landlord wrapping my body up and tossing it into a dumpster, I’d do it. Why do I have to have this happening to me all the time?” He reached for her and felt her skin beneath his fingers just before she stopped and stared in his direction. “What the fuck was that?”

Taking a step back
, Riss was afraid. Not of her, but the sensation that moved throughout his body. He felt…well, hungry came to mind, but he knew it couldn’t be that. While he could eat, it was more of a habit than anything else. He felt hunger for her.

“
Who’s there?” It wasn’t the first time a human had asked that of him, but it was the first time he wanted to show himself for one. When she took a step in his direction, he took two back. Riss had no idea why, but he thought if she touched him now, she’d be able to see him.

When she started pacing again
, he let out a breath. She started talking almost immediately, but this time he was paying little attention. He needed to talk to someone, but for the life of him wasn’t sure who to call. But Michael contacted him first by simply showing up.

“
She knows you’re here.” Riss nodded, not really sure how Michael knew, but then the man seemed to know everything. “Did you let her see you?”

“
No.” Riss flushed when he realized how loudly he’d spoken. “No. I didn’t. Though I’m not sure, but I believe had she touched me, she would have seen me.”

“
She would have.”

Riss waited for him to continue
, but when he didn’t, Riss looked at Kala. She was still talking to herself, but her words were garbled and he wasn’t sure why.

“
I have made it so she may vent without you hearing. She is not being very complimentary to you at the moment.”

“
She does not know me.” Michael nodded, and Riss felt a surge of anger toward him. “You know something.”

“
Yes. I know a great deal. As a matter of fact, I would say my information is countless.” Michael grinned before continuing. “You are angry. It’s a good feeling on you.”

“
I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m merely upset that I nearly showed myself to a human.”

“
Would that have been so bad?” Riss looked at Kala, then back at Michael. “What if I told you that if she saw you it would not be the end of the world? You would appear as a human to her, and she would know no difference. You’ll be gone from here soon, so what should it matter if she has a glimpse of the man you are?”

“
I’m not sure what you mean.” But Riss did. He was telling him that he could interact with a human, this human, before he died. “I would prefer to leave my life just as it is. I’m not interested in having a relationship with a human.”

“
Suit yourself.” Michael looked at Kala, and Riss felt another emotion that he’d never had before. Jealousy, white hot jealousy. “Would you like to know what she does with her anger?”

“
No.” Riss suddenly wanted his friend gone. “I’ve got things under control now. I don’t know what happened with her, but I’m better now.”

Michael looked at him
, and Riss had the urge to squirm, something he’d never wanted to do in this man’s presence. “You may think you do, but you are far from it. Control, I mean.”

Riss shifted on his feet and looked at
Kala. She was still pacing, but now there were tears. He wished he could hear what she was saying but was afraid she’d still be talking to him. When Michael cleared his throat, he looked at him.

“
Arryn will be able to return tomorrow. I can watch over her until he can be here.” Riss found himself shaking his head at Michael before he could think what he was doing. “You wish to remain here?”

“
I will finish my shift for her today. She will not need you to keep her safe.” Looking at Kala again, he continued. “She isn’t so hard to watch. And I’ve nothing else to do until you make your decision as to who I will have next.”

“
As you wish.” When Riss looked again, Michael was gone. Riss watched Kala for a few more seconds as what she was saying became clearer. She was still ranting about how her life was uncertain, and she was simply tired of it. Riss could relate to her feelings, but not in how she wanted to handle things.

“
I have two weeks to find a home, pack my stuff, and move. How do I do that? Burn the place down with me in it comes to mind.” She sat down, and he watched the tears flow. “I’m such a failure. I’ve always been something of a flop, and now…who the hell cares?”

She stood up abruptly and moved out of the kitchen
ette, and Riss followed her. When she was in the bedroom again, he watched as she pulled hanger after hanger out of the tiny closet and tossed them with the clothing on them to the floor. He had no idea what she was about until she left him to go to the bathroom, only to return seconds later with a large trash bag. Watching her stuffing things into the bag with such force as to tear it, Riss sat down.

“
You’re going to be fine. And you’re not a failure. You’re brilliant and beautiful.” Kala didn’t pause in her packing but pushed things harder into the plastic. “I know you don’t think so, but I bet in a few months when you’re settled in a new job and a new place to live, you’ll wonder why you were so upset.”

“
Shut up.” Riss wanted to take her into his arms again, and nearly stood up to do so when she spoke again. “I’m done with this life. I’ve had enough.”

This time when she went into the bathroom
, he followed. She was running a bath, and he had a feeling she wasn’t going to go into it with the idea to relax. Moving to the front of the tiny apartment, he went out the front door to the hallway beyond. Summoning Michael, he waited for him to show.

“
How do I appear to her? She is about to kill herself, and this is all I can think about doing.” Michael moved through the door and was gone for longer than Riss thought necessary. When he returned, he frowned.

“
You think of being a human.” Riss waited for more, but apparently Michael thought he knew what he was to do next and disappeared. Riss thought of all the things he’d do to the man once he saw him again and thought of Kala in the other room.

Being a human was something he
’d never thought of. They were creatures that, while he found fascinating, he was still afraid of. So when he had to concentrate on being one, it was more difficult than he’d thought. Finally, after what he was afraid was too long, he knew that he’d achieved it. Reaching to the bell he’d seen others press, he heard the tinkle of the sound through the door.

~~~

Kala pulled her robe on to go to the door. Whoever was on the other side was going to get an earful when she opened it. Laying on the bell like it was their job, she thought maybe she’d pull the sucker out after she murdered the person pressing the button. When she tore open the door, she nearly swallowed her tongue when she saw him standing there.

“
Hi.” Kala nodded at his greeting but couldn’t for the life of her think how to use her mouth. “I was wondering what you’re doing.”

Doing? Right now
, she was trying her best to figure out why she was having a massive heart attack and how not to drool on the best looking man she’d ever seen. Nodding, she felt at once stupid and needy when he smiled.

“
Miss?” He started to step toward her, and Kala had the overwhelming need to step toward him. But instead she stepped back.

“
What do you want?” The man stepped back but smiled. Kala had a feeling he was as uncomfortable as she was right now. “I was about to kil…take a bath.”

“
I see.” He put out his hand, and she reached for it without thinking. “I’m Riss. I live around here.”

“
Kala Marrow.” She frowned at him, trying to remember where she’d heard that name before. “Do I know you?”

“
I don’t think so.” He looked down the hall, and she did as well. Dan was coming toward her, but he’d not looked up after getting out of the elevator. Kala didn’t want to see him right now. Grabbing Riss by the shirt, she pulled him into her apartment and closed the door quietly behind him. He was staring at her strangely when she put her fingers to her lips to quiet him.

The knock on the other side of the door had her tensing up
, but as soon as Riss put his hands on her waist, she felt relaxed. Looking up at him, she realized he had the most beautiful eyes she’d ever seen on a man…or anyone for that matter. They were as clear as glass and seemed to shine back at her. When he leaned toward her she held her breath, knowing that if he touched her more than he was at the moment, she was going to drag him to her bed.

“
Do you not want that man to know you are home?” She shook her head and felt Riss’s sigh as it fanned over her throat. “I will protect you.”

When he leaned back, resting his head on the door
, she looked at him again. In that moment, Kala knew that he would do just that too…protect her at all costs. Moving her hands up from his arms to his shoulders, she meant only to shove him away but pulled him closer to her.

“
Kala,” he breathed her name before she took his mouth. Warm, soft lips met hers, and she ran her tongue over his mouth, hoping…no, needing for him to allow her in. When she felt his mouth open, she dove in with her tongue and moaned at the taste of him. His grip on her waist had her stepping closer to him until she could feel every muscle, every hard plane, and his cock thickening between them.

Kala
had never been kissed before. Men had tried, she realized then, but no one had ever done this to her, made her feel, simply feel, like this man currently was. When he rolled her so that her back was against the door, she moaned again and rocked into his groin. When he tore his mouth from hers, Kala whimpered and tried to pull him back.

“
I’ve never felt this way before.” She nodded at him, agreeing with him with all her heart. “I want to touch you in ways that I shouldn’t. Taste you by biting into your flesh and taking you into me.”

“
Please.” Pulling him to her throat again, he suckled her pounding pulse into his mouth and bit down gently. “Riss, please. I need you.”

Her body was on fire for him, every part of her wanted him
, and she wasn’t sure where to have him start. Nothing like this had ever happened to her. Never had she had such an immediate and profound connection to a person after such a short time. Her need for him to make love to her had her body wet and open for him. And for whatever reason, she knew that he’d be the only one who would be able to quench this overwhelming thing that was between them.

Taking his hand from her waist where he held her so tightly
, she moved it to her breast and squeezed his palm over her. His head lifted from her throat, and she watched as he opened her robe slowly.

“
I’ve never done this before.” Something in her mind clicked, but it was gone before she could catch it. “Your skin is warm, almost hot, and you taste of winter and heat. I want to lick you in places that should be left for another. I want to…I need to do things to you that I’ve only just now thought of.”