He slowly nods. "Yes, I could tell it in her expression. I could feel her anger."My eyes go wide. "What if she tries to do it again?" I blurt out."She cannot." He shakes his head. "I have been sealed," he says, and I let out a breath of relief.Dominic holds me in his arms a few moments longer, and I look back up, "The councilman, he was sent to protect the twins from her too, wasn't he?""Mmm, hum," his voice resonates in my ear. "The Hierarchy Council knew they would be especially susceptible to her.""Because of their visions?" I ask.He nods. "And their dreams.""If they can kill a demon, they can certainly kill a witch," I smirk."It is not that easy," he says. "It is forbidden for a Seraph to kill another Seraph." I pull away and look up, "Even if she tries to kill them?" Dominic glances down at me. "Yes.""What would be her reason? Why would she want to hurt the twins?" I ask."Power," he says."Power for what?" "No one is sure, but the Hierarchy Council has
"Hello, Kate," a woman's voice calls out, and I sluggishly blink, pulling my heavy lids open to total darkness. "Did you enjoy my little gift? I sharpened the blade myself."I reach out, groggy and drunk, touching the edge of a blanket on my chest. "Yes, you are still in bed," the woman says. "But now it's time to wake up!" she shouts, yanking me up by the arm as a hard slap stings the side of my face. I yelp, more alert and duck my head awkwardly in the blackness. She laughs. "They have sedated you. This is going to be a cake walk." The lamp next to the bed suddenly switches on, blinding me, and I sluggishly shield my eyes. "Who are you?" I ask, the back of my head falling hard against the headboard as I lower my hands.I see her dress first, black, long and skintight, hands propped on her hips, hair and face still breathtaking. Olivia. Her lips curl up into a slow smile as soon as I look into her new black eyes. "Surprised to see me?" she winks, "Why yes, I can dream wa
His forehead is lined in concern, pinging my gut and I watch his expression grow more serious. "It was not a dream, Love," he whispers, glancing down at my waist. I let out a cry and sit up, throwing the covers off of me.There's no blood, it's gone... there's not even a trace."Oh, Dominic, did I?" I can barely say the words. "Did I lose the baby?" "Our baby is fine." His smile widens and my breath hitches, the smell of sweet rosemary swirls between us as he softly kisses my lips. "you do not need to worry.""Really?" I whisper, astonished. "Really, honey?"He nods. "It is over, Love." He moves closer, gathering me in his arms. "You are safe." He kisses my cheek. "And so is or our baby." His arms pulls me closer."But how? I-I was bleeding." My body shivers, remembering. "Oh Dominic, there was so much blood.""I know, honey." He nods, gently rubbing my back. My eyes go wide. "The twins?" I pull back. "They were there...they saw everything, they saved me, I think they even
I'm not sure how long ago it was when I first saw him, staring down at the oldest, crumbling gravestone in his black hooded cloak. He has completely captured my attention; I want to know more about the mysterious man behind all that darkness. Is he grieving like me? Maybe. It's the reason I've been coming to this God-forsaken cemetery over the last five months since Zack died.He was my best friend and he died saving someone else's life. A firefighter's duty, I'm supposed to believe. Everyone still tries to comfort me by saying he died doing what he loved but they don't understand. I no longer have my big brother to protect me, especially from myself.After our parents died three years ago, only blocks from our house, I became a different person. The drunk driver kept going after he plowed into them during their nightly walk. The fourteen-year-old who killed them had found his parents' whiskey stash before taking his dad's truck for a joyride. He only got two years of probation. Back
I'm wide-awake after only a few hours of sleep but apparently it was just enough to rev up my brain. I try like hell to will my mind to relax but it's no use. It's as if my body is attached to someone else, keeping me from the very thing I so desperately want-to avoid my shitty reality for a little while longer. I reach around the bed for my phone and finally find it, still warm from somehow working its way under my hip. I have to turn the brightness down before I can focus and switch the music to my Mozart playlist. It's at the top, so it's easy to find. Hopefully, it'll do the trick and send me back to dreamland. It always worked when Mom played him for me as a kid. Especially when I had nightmares.Another few minutes go by but I'm completely awake. I can't get him out of my head, no matter how hard I try. My curiosity about him is starting to make my daily trip almost a game. Will he be there today? Will he take one look at me and walk away, like he did the last time? Why is he
We're within twenty feet of each other when he slowly stands, turning his face toward me. His eyes meet mine and I have to stop and catch my breath. The intense combination of brown and an almost orangey-red mix is incredible. I'm not sure if it's the cloud cover or the tiny wedge of sun somehow managing to cast light on them, but I'm mesmerized before I say a word. We stand in silence for a few more seconds while the rapid thud of my heart pounds in my ears. Then suddenly he turns and walks away. Shit.Did I piss him off? Does he want privacy? I watch him head toward the woods, his heavy coat swaying in the wind, giving him an almost otherworldly look, and for a moment I wonder if he's real. Maybe he's been in my imagination all along. But then he glances back at me and I see that same rusty-red glow in his eyes, even from where I'm standing. I think he's looking back to see if I'm following him. Wait...should I? Follow him?I don't give myself enough time to think about it be
I don't have time to think more about it because Aunt Kelly is hugging the life out of me."Thank God you're okay!" she says in my ear."I'm fine," I reply, wondering how long she'll keep me in a vice grip.She pulls back, keeping her hands firmly planted on my shoulders. "I made soup. You hungry?" "Yeah, sounds good," I say automatically, so deep in thought I probably would have agreed to anything.Was it really him? Or was it just my imagination? "Hey, cutie," my uncle says, winking as I walk past him to the kitchen. Gross."Hey, Uncle John," I say with little enthusiasm. I can't stand him. He's made Aunt Kelly's life a living hell for years. Mostly because he barely works, only taking jobs here and there when he feels like it, then spending every penny of it gambling or buying beer. The other day I smelled pot when I took out the trash and I knew it was him puffing away behind the fence. He's such a loser. It's hard to see what my aunt saw in him. According to her, he was
"Here you go," the older lady behind the motel front desk says, holding out two key cards. I take them and smile. I'm happy to finally have a decent bed to sleep in after two nights on a hard sofa in Uncle John's hospital room."You're paid up for the rest of the month. If you need your rooms for longer, just let us know." I nod and walk back out to my car. Aunt Kelly is waiting in her Explorer with Uncle John, who looks asleep and is most likely high on pain meds. She's wiping her eyes. "Are you okay?" I ask, hoping the concern on my face doesn't reveal how frightened I really am. She doesn't need that extra burden right now."Oh, yeah, honey." She quickly hides the Kleenex I already saw. "I just hate that you're having to use your inheritance money." She looks over at Uncle John, then back to me, and whispers, "He doesn't know this, but I managed to put a little money away for emergencies... It's not-"I interrupt her guilt trip. "Aunt Kelly, this was my choice and I want to