Witches Anonymous (5 page)

Chapter Nine: Sin in the City

Adam’s hand stroked my back, sending feathery shivers up and down my spine. His heart drummed a soft rhythm against my chest as I lay my head on his shoulder. Breathing deeply, I inhaled the masculine smell of his neck and knew he wanted more than a lip-melting kiss, but was too much of a gentleman to go for it. Our first date and all.

I, however, had no reservations about plunging in hook, line and firefighter. Forget revenge on Lucifer. I wanted Adam, and I wanted him on the rooftop with the whole town of Eden spread out below us.

Just as I puckered my lips to kiss his neck, he sighed. “I know what you’re thinking.”

I froze. What, now he could read my mind too? “You know what I’m thinking?”

“Yeah. We just met and here I am all over you. Moving kind of fast, huh?”

His hand was actually moving with exquisite slowness. I wanted to arch my back into it. “No, not at all,” I purred into his neck.

“It’s been a while for me.” He tipped his head to look at the sky again and brought my hand with the spoon to his mouth. Peeling the spoon out of my curled fingers, he tossed it in the ice cream bucket and kissed my palm. “Maybe too long.” His tongue danced on my palm and I sucked in my breath. “I can’t stop thinking about you. Wanting to touch you.”

Damn. I kissed his neck, felt the texture of his skin, and scooted my body so I lay completely on top of him. “Sounds good to me.”

His eyes reflected the baby moon as he gazed up at me, heat and lust burning in them. Gentleman or not, he was still a man, and in my experience, men would believe anything you told them if it meant they’d get laid. “Really?”

Lucky for me, I didn’t need to lie. I nodded, licking my lips and pressing my hips down, just a little. Just to tease him again. I wanted to know how much it took for Adam to lock his cute, shy hero self in the closet and let the bad boy come out to play.

The lust in his eyes flared brighter and his hands went to my hips. “I like you, Ames. I like you a lot, but if you’re looking for a rebound boyfriend, that’s not what I’m into.”

My heart squeezed at his sincerity and his new nickname for me, and I realized how tired I was of pushy, demanding men. I liked nice. I liked charming. I liked Adam. A lot.

If I were a decent woman, I would have crawled off him and sent him on his way. He deserved someone nice and normal like him. A woman who was stable and had morals.

But even though I’d given up my witchy lifestyle, I wasn’t a masochist. I’d dumped that gig along with Lucifer. Caressing the side of his face with my palm, I smiled into Adam’s eyes and once again told the truth. “I’m not on the rebound or looking for a short-term fling. I’d like a meaningful relationship, and I’d like it to be with you.”

He scanned my face. “You’re sure?”

For the first time since I’d sworn that stupid oath to be good, I really
was
sure about something. He felt solid underneath me and I liked solid. I placed my hand over his heart. “Yes.”

His eyes darkened in response with a look I knew to be very, very sinful.

Before I could dip my head for another kiss, he wound his hand in my hair and pulled my face down. There was nothing shy about Adam’s lips as he took mine this time and I laughed softly into his mouth.

Bye bye, charming hero. Hello, bad boy.

Chapter Ten: The Fall

Saturday night, Adam rode up on his Harley, took one look at me standing on the sidewalk in my Eve costume, and nearly crashed the bike into a parked car. “Damn,” he said, staring at my fig leaves. Or possibly lack thereof. “You look…”

“Stunning?” I flipped my long hair, decorated with baby’s breath, over one shoulder. “Even better than the original?”

“Oh, yeah. Much better than the original.” His eyes roamed downward. “You’re all but naked, Ames.”

Unfolding the trench coat I carried, I slipped it on and tied the belt around my waist. I was certainly less naked than I could have been had Keisha not raided the neighborhood florist for artificial ivy branches and daisies. We’d sewn pieces of each, along with the baby’s breath, to the bodysuit in creative ways, and Keisha had braided sections of my hair with the leftovers. I now looked more like a kinky version of Mother Nature than the Mother of Humankind, but at least my butt was covered. The single fig leaf the suit had come with in that area wasn’t big enough to cover an ant’s butt, much less mine.

“Where’s your costume?” I said, carefully fitting a helmet over my tresses.

“Hard to look manly on the Harley in a fig leaf, not to mention, it’s uncomfortable. I’ll change when we get back to the station.”

I eased onto the bike behind him and relished running my hands around to his stomach. Hard and compact, every muscle moved in unison under my fingers as he gunned the bike and we took off for the party.

The Eden firehouse was hopping when we arrived. Romeo and Juliet stood on the sidewalk talking to Marilyn and Joe. Butch and Sundance practiced their gun-drawing skills out front while balancing cups of punch. Music from inside thumped and vibrated into the parking lot.

One side of the station had been converted into a dance floor. Cobwebs and tombstones decorated every corner. The punch on the far table was blood red. As Adam led me through the partygoers, he stopped several times to introduce me to his fellow firefighters. They were so distracted by my natural assets wrapped in ivy and dotted with daisies, most had trouble following a real conversation. Normally, I would have flirted with every man there, but for some reason, I blushed and hung on Adam’s arm instead.

Upstairs, while he changed into his matching costume in his office, I roamed the floor. I wandered through the sleeping area and toyed with the idea of sliding down the fire pole. Being a total klutz and wearing a bodysuit covered with flora seemed like enough reason to nix that idea. No sense in embarrassing myself in front of Bill and Hillary. One never knew when a Cabinet position might open up for a reformed witch.

Leaving the sleeping area behind, I walked down a short, dark hall, past Adam’s office. There were restrooms on one side, and a storage room and water fountain on the other. At the end, flashes of light danced and flickered in bursts from another glass-fronted office. Since the light couldn’t be coming from the party below, I figured the intermittent bursts were from a light bulb about to burn out.

As I came to a stop outside the office, I did a double take. On the other side of the glass, Lucifer fought with another man—a winged, luminescent creature who traded blows with my ex like a prize fighter. Every punch, every kick set off an explosion of light.

My breath stuck in my throat, I watched, mesmerized, as the two of them ducked, swiveled and flew into the air in an ongoing attempt to pulverize the other. Neither seemed to be winning or losing.

As though he felt my gaze on him, the angel stopped in mid-swing and pivoted his head. Our eyes met and a chill ran like water down my spine. The skin over his angled cheekbones bunched as he smiled, but there was no kindness in the gesture. The blood in my veins froze.

Lucifer followed the angel’s gaze and his eyes went wide with alarm when he saw me. Even my formfitting bodysuit did not distract him. He moved as if to leave the office and the angel’s hand shot out, gripping him by the neck. Lucifer’s mouth formed a word. “Run!”

Instinct swept through me, making me stumble backwards. As I turned to run, my foot caught on a chair sitting against the wall. I tripped and, falling, cracked the side of my head against the water cooler.

Pain, sharp and brutal, ripped across the back of my eyes and everything went black.

A voice cut through the fog in my head. “Amy Evelyn Atwell, I command you to open your eyes.”

I blinked a couple of times, trying to obey the voice, even though I didn’t want to. A dull throb beat above my right ear and it intensified when I looked at the incandescent glow coming from the angel’s face. Another blink and, narrowing my eyes, I could take him in. Long waves of blond hair hung from his head, his features matched the hair, more feminine than masculine in their design. Deep blue eyes that held complete neutrality.

“Where’s Adam?” I croaked. “What did you do to Lucifer? If you’ve hurt either of them, I swear…”

He stroked my forehead with a single, long finger. “They are at the firehouse. Unharmed.”

Knocking his hand away, I eased myself into a sitting position, my gaze drawn to the sight before me—mountains in the distance dressed in clouds, a valley cradling a clear stream, trees full of birds, their songs echoing softly in the clear air. There were animals everywhere, roaming and grazing in complete harmony. My pulse jumped and I rubbed my head. “And where are
we
?”

The angel surveyed the beautiful garden before him. “Do you not recognize this place?”

Oh, God.

Literally.

“I’m
dead
?” I started to shake uncontrollably. “This is heaven?”

The angel scoffed and reached down to take my hand. “I’m Gabriel, and this—” he motioned at our surroundings, “—is Eden.”

I expected his touch to be warm, but it was neither warm nor cold. The sensation was more like spiders crawling under my skin. Jerking my hand away, I struggled to stand and keep my balance. “This doesn’t look like Eden,” I said, hugging my body and crushing baby’s breath in the process. “Where are the houses? The arboretum? My ice cream shop?”

“You, Amy, are at the crossroads of good and evil. This is Genesis.”

“Oh,” I said, sure I had totally lost my mind. “
That
Eden.” My laugh sounded tight, incredulous. No surprise since I was freaking out inside. “Sure it is. I knew that.”

Gabriel’s gaze lingered on a giraffe stripping leaves from a tree. “Adam has been sent back to Earth for a second chance at resisting temptation. He’s picked you from the entire human race to face the test with him.” His eyes dropped to my face, challenge in the blue orbs. “You must be wiser and stronger than the original Eve and resist Satan, or humanity will once again be lost to sin and death in the fires of hell.”

Right.
Someone knock me on the head again so I can get back to reality
. Scanning the area for anything that might look like reality, I freaked out an ounce more when absolutely nothing resembled my Eden. This had to be a trick. “That’s a good one.” Nervousness made my laugh sound like Alvin the Chipmunk’s. “You and Adam’s friends are punking me, right?”

Gabriel cut his eyes to me. “Punking you?”

“Yeah, you know, pulling a fast one on me.” I pivoted around. “Where’s the camera?”

“There is no camera. Nothing high-tech, in fact, at all.”

“Of course there is.” My voice sounded shrill. “This is just an illusion. A good one, too, but I’d like to get back to the party now.”

Gabriel stood silently, sizing me up. His wings fluttered a micron and a wave of impatient energy washed over me.

I met his challenging stare and pushed it back at him. “Tell me this is an illusion.”

“This is not an illusion, Amy. This is Eden.”

I scanned the beautiful landscape again. I was standing in the original Eden with God’s right-hand angel. I bit the inside of my cheek. Apparently, I should have listened to Luc and his prophecy.

Hell and damnation, I hate it when he’s right.

“Just in case this is real,” I said, deciding to reason with the angel. “I have to tell you, I’m not the best candidate for the job. Lucifer—Satan—and I have a history, in case you didn’t know.”

Gabriel’s sigh was whisper-soft. “Satan claims you’re quite good at resisting him.”

Okay, there
was
that. “Here’s the thing, see. Even though I took an oath to stop the witchcraft stuff, I’m still under contract with him. I sold my soul a long time ago. There’s no way I qualify for this job.”

Gabriel’s wings fluttered again and I realized that was where he held his emotions. Wisps of irritation mixed with his impatient energy, but he also liked to reason. “Perhaps you should view this as redemption for you, too.”

Redemption. At that moment, I wasn’t sure I wanted redemption if I had to spend eternity with good ol’ Gabe staring me down with his cold blue eyes and fluttering his wings at me. “I would really like to go back to the fire station now.”

Another ripple of his wings. If possible, his eyes grew even harder. “Help Adam, Amy. Whatever Satan offers you, remember it is a trick. God’s depending on you to save humanity. I’m depending on you.” He spread his wings and took my hand in a strong grip. “Oh, and by the way, you have three days.”

I opened my eyes to see Adam’s furrowed brow and concerned eyes hanging over me. “Amy, what happened? Are you all right?”

He helped me to sit up, and though the pounding in my head intensified, so did my relief. I was back in the dark hallway of the fire station. Chuckling with giddiness, I grabbed his arm as a new stab of pain split my skull. I careened to the side.

Adam’s grasp tightened on my arm. “Whoa, there.”

I rubbed the sore spot on the side of my head. “I fell and knocked myself out.”

Adam’s gentle fingers probed the spot and images of Eden—the original Eden—flashed through my mind. My stomach tensed. “And then I dreamed I was in The Garden of Eden.”

His fingers stopped moving, and he blinked at me. “Let’s get an ice bag on that bump.”

Twenty minutes later, an EMT at the party declared me healthy, but suggested I go to the hospital. I refused and Adam took me home, offering to stay with me in case I did have a concussion. Totally tired out and needing the feel of his solidness beside me, I agreed.

Inside my apartment, he babied me, bringing me a cup of chamomile tea and helping me remove the flowers from my hair before easing me into bed. He was still wearing his fig-leaf costume and I took a moment to admire it before I closed my eyes. “You look good enough to sin for,” I teased. “Sorry I ruined our night together.”

His hand caressed my cheek. “Nothing’s ruined. We have plenty of time.”

Gabriel’s voice echoed in my head.
You have three days
.

A tremor of dread ran through me. “What’s three days from now?”

“Three days?” He thought for a second. “Halloween.”

Of course. The test would come on All Hallow’s Eve. My weak spot. I’d been dreading it, along with my fellow Witches Anonymous compatriots, all week. We’d already made a pact to spend the night watching Drew Barrymore films at Marcia’s place just to keep our minds occupied and our wands unused.

A tiny noise sounded from the kitchen table. “My beeper,” Adam said, hurrying out of the bedroom. He came back with a sheepish look on his face. “It’s a code-red fire in the industrial strip outside of town. I have to go, but I can’t leave you. You might have a concussion.”

“Go,” I said, waving him off. “I’ll call Keisha to come stay with me. She’s only two blocks away.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure.”

He brushed my forehead with his lips and handed me my cell phone. “Don’t do anything but rest. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

The moment I heard the rumble of his motorcycle outside, hot air rushed over me on the bed like an invisible blanket. Lucifer stood in the shadowed corner.

“Please tell me you didn’t start that fire,” I said on a moan.

His face was grim. More grim than usual. “I didn’t start any fires. Now, tell me what happened.”

I was too tired to pretend I didn’t know what he was talking about. “Your angel buddy took me to Eden. The original version. He told me I could help Adam with a do-over. Save humanity from sin and all that.”

I waited for Luc to laugh. To tell me I hallucinated the whole thing. “Gabriel is a skilled liar.”

Closing my eyes, I wished the whole night would go away. Except, maybe, for Adam and his fig leaf. “Gabriel’s an angel. A messenger of God. He can’t lie.”

“He’s an angel with free will. Like me. Lying comes quite easy for the right reasons.”

I slanted my eyes open a micron to look at him. “You’re not an angel anymore. God kicked you out, remember?”

“Because I wanted to be a god. Gabriel’s not so different.”

Something small and petty burst in my chest. “Right, he wants to be a god, too, since it turned out so well for you.”

Lucifer moved toward the bed, his arms crossed over his chest, one finger stroking his goatee. “Did he tell you what would happen if you succeeded in rescuing Adam from temptation this time around?”

“I told you. He said I could save humanity. Wipe out sin.”

“Did you agree to do it?”

“It’s a no-brainer. Why wouldn’t I do it?”

“Everyone on the earth at this moment was born in sin.” Luc paced to my closet and back. “What do you think happens to them when you restore Paradise, where sin no longer exists?”

My brain spun in foggy circles as I tried to follow his train of thought. “I don’t know. What happens to them?”

“They cease to exist. Poof.” He snapped his fingers. “You, little Amy Atwood, will be responsible for eliminating the entire human population. Except Adam, of course.”

Everyone? Poof? I swallowed hard. “God wouldn’t do that.”

Luc held up a finger to make a point. “Did you speak to God?”

“No.” I sighed. “Only Gabriel.”

“Don’t you think God would speak to you directly about something so…damnable?”

Narrowing my eyes at him, I tried to unwind the tangled ball of thoughts making my head hurt again. “I think you’re the one trying to trick me.” I rubbed my forehead, hoping to ease the pain. “If sin ceases to exist, then so do you.”