Steal Me From Heaven (22 page)

“Why do you need that thing?” I ask. “You are a walking weapon.”

“I will not use my blades on you. They are a part of me. They will never touch your blood. Now you should go. I will follow close behind. I am your enemy once you leave the hotel doors. There is no surrender. I do not have to tell you not to hit my heart. Flying is permitted this time, but only after midnight. We are on a secured estate and everyone has a curfew here. We do not stop until morning.”

I shake my head and sigh. I am no warrior, but he is trying to make me one. I fear that I will die before that ever happens. My stamina and strength are where they should be, but I cannot handle a sword. There is no slow process to his teachings. I do not say anything to him. Marching past him, I open the door and head for the elevator. Once inside, I pull a knife from my belt and cut my shoulder straps. Tying the front two around my neck, I make a halter dress. The back straps fall to my waist. I tuck the loose fabric into my belt and then replace my knife. My shoulders are bare and ready to transform. The elevator dings and someone steps on board. She stares at me, and I blink my eyes at her. She is the woman from the dungeon that wore the purple shirt, the one that I kissed. I look at the floor. I must look ridiculous.

“Hello,” she says. “Good to see you’re still hanging around. Jacob seems to be on another vacation. I haven’t had to work in a week. Jessica and Becca are gone now too. I am running low on funds. If you are thirsty, I would be happy to offer.” I feel that she wants me to say yes.

“I do not have any funds on me,” I tell her.

“You can arrange for the front desk to pay me.” She pushes the stop button on the elevator and advances towards me. I think she must really need money. No human should be this forward for a Vampire to drink from them. She takes a knife from my belt and raises it to her throat. As she slices her neck, I watch the blood flow down her neck and pool on her collarbone. The smell is sweeter than I remember her being. I think that the added blood could be to my advantage in my fight with Malachi. Licking my lips, I close my mouth around her skin and drink. After the first swallow, I know that I have been tricked. Her red liquid burns going down. I fall to the elevator floor. Her blood tastes of Demon. I scream inside for the only one who can help me, Jacob.

Chapter 11

When I awake, I see Charles standing over me. “Why am I not dead? I drank your blood.” I cannot see clearly as my vision falters. I notice that my blades are gone but at least I am still dressed.

“I gave a human my blood. If you drank from a Vampire or from me directly you definitely would not be here.”

“But I thought you want me dead, so why I am I still alive?” I try to sit up. He comes over to help me.

“Jacob could have killed me twice, but instead he gave me more chances than I deserved. You mean everything to him. I will not try to take you away from him again. You have my word and my service.” He bows his head to me while sitting on the bed.

“You know what I am? Did you tell anyone?”

“No. I went to Purgatory but I never revealed your identity. Jacob had both me and Deborah released. I am to train you to fight Demons. When you are ready, you will strike me down. I will not be banished but will die instead. Only a death can release Jacob from Lilith’s hold. I can demand anything I want and it has to be honored.”

“Why would you do this for us?”

Charles looked at me intently. “I deserve to die for what I did to you. I will gladly die for Jacob. I may be his Demon but I was a good Guardian for him. With Deborah no longer acting as his Angel, you will be assigned to the job as protector. He will have no Demon. It is the best chance he has to make the right choices to save the world.”

“What makes you so sure that he will want to save the world and not release Hell on earth?”

“What makes you doubt it?” He spits the words at me. My vision is getting clearer. I look at his gray eyes. I do not know why he is on the side of good versus evil. I do not say anything. He continues to speak. “Do you know what his name means?” he asks.

“I know that he is called by his last name,” I say as Charles shakes his head.

“No, not Jacob, his Vampire name, Alasdair. It is a derivative of his human name, Alexander. It means ‘defender of mankind.’
He has always known that this is his fate. Lilith told him centuries ago that he would be hers to ravish in Hell.”

“You mean that she is down there having sex with him.” Lilith is beautiful with her red hair and feminine curves. She has bigger breasts and hips than I do. She is taller and her skin is perfection.

“You do not think of her as a Demon. You see only her human facade. She is red and muscular. Her feet are talons and her flesh will burn you. If she touches him, he is being tortured. Rest assured, it is not the sex that you are imagining.”

I feel ashamed for thinking that way. “When do we start training?”

“When you are fully rested, we will start. I had Claudia bring some clothes for you. She will be your meals while you are here. Her blood is already purified, but I will not let you drink from her until tomorrow. Rest now.”

I cannot believe that Charles is going to sacrifice himself in this way. I still hate him, but a little less now. Malachi will worry when he cannot find me. I wonder if he can track me from the blood that I drank from him. I know Jacob could but he is a Vampire. Maybe this is all a trap. I will only learn sword play from Charles. He will not see my wings or my light. I will make him only train at night so that he does not know that I can go out in the sun. My guard will be up the entire time. I sink into the bed and rest, but I do not sleep.

Charles does not overload me with weapons. He teaches me one at a time, and his methods are ruthless. He moves like no Angel or Vampire, and he fights dirty. Never does he make any advances towards me. He is strictly professional. I will dread killing him when the time comes. Although he flashes his teeth at me a time or two, he never breaks my skin. Malachi’s blood should be long gone by now, but then I realize that my blood is poison to Charles now that I can switch from Vampire to Angel.

For four nights, we have battled. He never takes me out in the daylight. I am glad he does not know the extent of my powers. After seeing him fight, I know that Malachi was right before when he said that Jacob was able to banish Charles too easily in the dungeon. Charles did not fight up to his potential.

I am in full weapons mode. He is circling me with his sword drawn. I have my arm bands on with their slicing blades protruding outwards. I also have my leather straps on each thigh. I can hold my own against him now, but I have yet to beat him. Tonight, I will. I throw my dagger quickly into the air, followed by the one attached to my leg. I run at him screaming. He does not know whether to follow the daggers with his eyes or to look at me. Finally, he turns to me. I smile. I mentally force the daggers to change course and fall as I slice him with the blade on my left arm. He swings his sword but I move quickly around. As he turns to face me, the dagger propels through his right shoulder and lodges against his bone. He kneels to the ground, and I cut him again. I knock him over onto his back, and the ground jars the dagger deeper into his flesh and bone. I hold my hand up towards the sky, waiting for the second dagger to fall into my palm. I straddle him and drive the blade down with force just inches from his heart. He gasps, but does not move.

“You’ve been holding back,” he grits through his teeth.

“A woman can’t reveal all her secrets,” I tell him.

“You are ready. I’ve sent Claudia to bring Malachi here. She should be there by now, and it should take him about an hour to fly out here. We are not far from Jacob’s estate.”

I was about to inform him that Malachi could travel faster without his wings when I see the trees flash to the side of me. I release Charles from my dagger and help him to get to his feet. Once standing, he reaches over his head to his back and pulls at the dagger lodged in his shoulder.

Malachi appears and looks at the both of us standing there covered in blood. After assessing the situation, he rips out his wings and charges us. As I move to block Charles, I see Malachi frown as he spins around me. Charles turns as Malachi drives his spear into his neck, severing his jugular.

“No, Malachi. He is helping me,” I yell at him.

“He kidnapped you. If his intentions were pure then he would have come to me instead of stealing you in the night like a thief.” Malachi pushes his spear into Charles’ rib and through his lung. I hear Charles let out his breath, but he still stands.

“Now, Marion. The time has come, but it has to be you who kills me,” Charles gurgles in his own blood.

“I am sorry, Charles. I hope your journey is well and that you can find peace.” I stab my bloody dagger through his back and pierce his heart. He crumbles to the ground and his flesh disintegrates. All that is left are his bones. Before, when he was
stabbed by Jacob, he just turned to ash. This time, I know that I have killed him.

Malachi backs away from me. “What happened to you? I have been searching for days. I thought you were gone.” He retracts his spears and folds in his wings. In his hurry, I hear a ripping sound from behind his back. I see the grimace on his face, and I know that his weapon just sliced him internally. I walk over to him as I see him starting to glow.

“Drink my blood,” I order. “It will heal you quicker.” He does not need to be offered twice. Pulling my head back by my hair, he latches onto me and bites. I close my eyes and draw in his scent. I have missed him. The blood on my sliced-up shirt is staining his bare chest red. I break his hold on my neck. He is taking too much too quickly. I do not think that he has had any nourishment since I left.

“Come. I need to get my things from his house, and we will be on our way. It is time that you take me to meet the Fallen. I am ready,” I inform him.

“Well, I just got you back, and I am not ready.” He draws my face upwards and kisses me. I melt in his arms. Careful not to cut him with my arm bands, I lift my hands over his head and wrap my arms around his shoulders. I kiss him back just as eagerly, pushing my tongue past his lips. His hand is slipping under my clothes. I have to stop this before it goes any further.

“Malachi, we do not have time. Charles is going to bargain for Jacob’s release as he passes through Purgatory. We have to implant the weapons before he crosses the barrier.”

He steps back away from me. “Marion, what have you done? Mankind is better off as long as Jacob stays in Hell.”

“No, you mean that you are better off if he is not here to take his rightful place by my side. The longer he is down there the more damage is done to his soul.”

“You cannot fix what is already broken. Yes, I know you will leave me the moment he returns so yes, it is safe to say that I prefer he never comes back.”

I move to slap him across the face. He grabs my arm to stop me. The blade on my arm band slices through his hand. He does not let go. His eyes glow a deeper blue than I recognize. Tensing his jaw, he opens his mouth to speak to me in a slow growl. “No.” I see his fangs flash in the moonlight. My heart skips a beat as I realize that I am seeing his anger directed at me for the first time.
He is fierce. I blink my eyes quickly as tears stream down my cheeks. I have always told him that he is my second choice. To be so close to losing me must be devastating to him. I am to him as Jacob is to me. I should show him some respect.

“I’m sorry. I never should have raised my hand to you,” I say as the anger leaves his face. He lets go of my arm and closes his hand into a tight fist to try to stop the bleeding.

“I lost control. It is I who should be apologizing. Jacob has been nothing but kind to me. I have no right to claim you. I’m sorry. The time has come for me to be your Guardian once more.” He looks down at Charles’ bones lying on the grass in the shadow. “I need to disperse what is remaining of the Demon so Lilith cannot raise him from the dead. You do not need to go back to the house. I have a residence near the meeting place. None of your clothes would work there anyway.”

“I am not going back for clothes,” I say as I reach up to caress my neck. He has to notice that the  necklace he gave me isn’t there.

“That is of little importance now,” he says as he starts to pick up bone fragments. I grimace at the sticky substance that stretches among the pieces as he breaks them apart. The juicy noises alone are making me sick.

“I can’t stay here and watch, and who are you to say what is important to me or not? It is my gift, and I choose to retrieve it.” I turn my back and head towards the house.

“Are you going to wear it for him when he makes love to you?” His voice is like a knife cutting through the air. I do not turn back to look at him. The sight would only break my heart as his words just did.

When I reach the house, I enter and grab all of my belongings, which is not much considering they are mostly Claudia’s clothes. I change quickly into something that is not covered in blood. I put my necklace in my pocket. When I am done, Malachi is standing outside. “I told you not to worry about your clothes. Put them down. Did you get the necklace?”

“Yes, I told you that it is mine. Everyone will just have to get used to it. Where are we staying?” I ask.

“We are going to transport to the ice mountain; thus, you will have to leave your belongings here. It is located on top of a glacier up north. I know you prefer the cold but your clothes just will not do.”