+1+
“I was. . .fuck . . I was wrong.”
I curse again and almost hit my head against the brick wall, and bite through my lip. I eased my hands out of Sera's hair and bring my hand to my face. Her soft lips are wrapped tight around me, I'd never been harder in my fucking life. She was too damn good. What the hell was I doing ? She buries her sharp fingernails into my hips taking my cock into her mouth.
"Fuck . . .",
I snap the clip in her hair and her perfectly curled hair tumbles past to her shoulders. For a moment the only thing I can hear is my breathing. She lets out a low laugh and kisses the side of my hip.
“Again”, she says. Sera uses the end of my shirt to wipe off her smeared bright pink lipstick.
“Uh, no. . .”
“Say it again”, she clarifies.
“Oh.. . right. I was wrong.”, I cleared my throat, “. . .When you love someone you are clearly not above giving them blow jobs in alleys. I was oh so very wrong for saying that."
I'd taken back the self righteous comment I'd thrown at her and Helios in a similar compromising position almost two months ago. Holy shit. . . I think this might have been the same alley.
I
adjust myself secretly wondering if her bright pink lipstick was going was off, then help her to her feet. I unconsciously pull down the hem of
her dress, but the tight black fabric won't go past her mid-thighs, I'm
not even sure how it's staying down.
"I love you", I said switching our position and press her against the wall, I reach up to kiss her neck, she bends her knee and deepens the kiss. “ Sera. . .You're so beautiful-"
"Wait", she steps away from me and to the mouth of the alley as a white car zooms past. I stay quiet as her heels crunch on the gravel.
"Is it Helios ?", I ask
"No", she says turning my wrist and glancing at my watch, "We should have seen him by now."
She doesn't close the distance between us and instead leans against the wall looking at me, I can practically see her trying to figure out what words to use.
"I guess we switch to business now ?"
"What ?"
"Something is on your mind. Even if we are in love we have to turn it on and off still, right ? This is still a secret and things are still. . .complicated. So whatever you have to say . . . say it, love."
"It's about Isobel." she says. God, that name burned.
“Isobel ?”, the name sounded too familiar on my tongue.
“I just thought you should know Helios doesn't have sight of her, He made a
list of all the Demons and all the daemons and Isobel's not on it.
She's safe from him.”
"What's the list for ?"
She lifts her shoulders.
“Anything
else ?”, I pretend like hearing her name doesn't bother me. Since
Seraphina had been shot I hadn't had the heart to bring up Isobel's
phone call. I mean for all I knew she never saw the call and maybe she
had her reasons for not telling me.
“Tessa is growing strong.”
“Are there more children on the way ?"
“Not as of yet. It seems even Angel men have an natural aversion to fatherhood.”
“How does she age ?”
“Nothing unusual so far. . . Helios did asked me to make a delivery for him", she adds as a complete non-sequitur
"What do you mean?"
"He had me leave a package at an address in Long Island, it was an office building."
"What was in the box ?"
"It was a biological material. . . from baby Tessa's surgery."
"Her surgery ?"
"Tessa's wings had to be surgically removed. Helios paid a doctor."
"What the fuck is he doing with her wings ?"
"I don't know. I waited but no one came around."
"Any idea on what he is doing ?'
"He might be working with the government or a government. Leon thinks he wants to create a bio-weapon or something."
"I don't know", I said, "Helios doesn't seem that big picture to me."
She doesn't respond put peers out of the alley and into the street. A black town car goes by but that's still not the car we are waiting for.
Helios was making his nightly trip back to Long Island.
Except this time we weren't going to follow him. We were going to take
advantage of his absence to go through his computer and re-route his accounts.
I grab Sera's arm and pull her as hard as I can back into the alley.
“You have a pretty fuck hot little mouth”, I whisper.
She pulls away from me and rolls her eyes.
“Kidding?” I say, “Kidding. I was imitating Helios. I’m trying to make you laugh, Sorry"
She turns back to the mouth of the alley as a white Hummer speeds by in a blur.
“That’s him. Let’s go.”
Helios makes his mysterious midnight meeting to Long Island in clockwork fashion.
She reaches out for my hand, I check for my gloves before taking it. I
pull up my Brooklyn College sweatshirt keep my head down and follow
her around the block towards Queen Anne's. This time through the front door of Helios' mansion.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?”
"Just keep your head down, no matter what don't stop walking", she says, "No one will think it . . . unusual."
She nods and I follow her inside Helios' mansion. I feel like I've fallen into a hornet’s nest. Inside Helio's mansion foyer The SGI are all sleeping or playing cards Sera just keeps calms her clicking heels getting the attention of a few off the men. They start whistling.
"Uh, oh someone plays when Helios is away"
"Someones being a bad girl."
She quickly leads me up the stairs and to the right, I follow close behind. She has a key and opens the bedroom door then shuts the door.
"So, how often do you sneak men into your room ?"
She doesn't dignify that with a response, but points to the computers on the desk.
I
don’t know what I expected to see in Helio's private rooms. There is nothing personal about it and the front
room has a large black desk with a world map dotted with push pins. On
the desk are 3 over-sized computer screens.
There are three doors behind the office. One peeks open to reveal a very messy closet. the other is a bathroom and the other. . .
“Is that Helio’s bedroom ?", I point to the third door, "It would make my day if I could fuck you on his bed.”
She
ignores me and pulls out the desk chair for me to sit. I turn on the
computer realizing each screen is a different processor, Helios was storing a lot of information.
Since I'd spent that last decades or so doing the accounting for
Father I was adept at everything concerning money. My plan was to fix Helio's books enough to siphon
money right out from under him.
Behind me I notice his world map has push pins in a lot of fun countries like Syria, Sudan,Bosnia, Somalia. The computer screens finally cuts on and they all show the same thing.
“Damn, he has a password.”
“Blow me.”, Sera whispers in my ear. I'd almost forgotten she was standing behind me.
“Uh. . . what ? I mean-”
I spin the chair around and the way she was leaning over my shoulder causes mouth runs right into
hers, she holds the chair in place long enough for her tongue to
just barley pass my lips.
“His password”, she clarifies, "blowme"
"Oh", I say, "Of course."
Of course.
She goes into Helios’ room, while I’m left going through his computers. His files are sparse, I guess he's not looking to leave a digital footprint.
I find his accounts for the year and a quick scan shows Helios making a
lot of withdrawals, more than in any other year. I tried to calculate
how much I could re route without him noticing. How much to make a
difference.
I kept clicking though, scanning all the zeros that went in and out of Helios' accounts. I guess private military paid alot more than tailoring..
“I don’t see a payroll.”, I called, “I could maybe make up an employee. I mean how much does Helios pay his men, anyway."
“He doesn't pay his men”, she says, “Helios works on the incentive system. Rewarding only for exceptional acts or favors. It's to keep everyone from becoming too independent."
"How about Anthony Boyd ? Helios has no problem paying him regular. Who is he ?"
"Who ?", she called from the bedroom.
"He has a payroll account for an Anthony Boyd, a cool 100,000 dollars a year. You heard of him ?"
“I need to take all this with me”, I say printing all 55 pages, "I'll need to do some creative accounting for this to work, but it's doable."
While
the printing starts, I open Helios drawers where I find pens
and calligraphy ink. I also find a book of checks and skim a few from
the back. His other computers are all business . . .fake ids and maps of NYC from every decade. Even his browser history is dull.
I
dig around in his drawers again and find Helios' cell phone. I guess he didn't
want to risk being tracked to Long Island. I open it to see there is a password
“His phone”, I call to Seraphina, she was still in Helios' bedroom.
“1010”
I think to question Seraphina why her age is his password but when his
phone opens to a photo of her, in nothing but the sheets on a bed. I don't recognize the room in the background. Probably a hotel somewhere.
The
next picture is from the same morning with a human girl sleeping beside
her. In the next photo they are kissing, in the next photo they are
kissing Helios but looking at each other.
“Helios' prowess know no bounds. Just so you know I’m way to selfish to be into any of this.”
I take the printed papers and put them in my messenger bag. I can get a better look at these when I’m not in enemy territory.
I’d gotten use to how quiet she could be, but I can’t even hear her moving around. I go into Helios bedroom and she is sitting on the bed holding a photograph from Helios' nightstand. The photo has an nondescript desert background and Helios is wearing his gray camouflage and a black undershirt, with two uzi’s slung around his shoulders.
"Subtle", I remark looking closer at the photo.
He has on shades and is standing in a relaxed position facing the camera. Leon is on one side of him and Seraphina is on the other. They are dressed like Helios, but are severely understated. Like they weren't supposed to be in the photo and are slightly out of focus.
The tips of Sera's fingers are on Helios face.
“Sera”
“I don’t know if I want him dead”, she says, “When this is over.”
“Why do you care ? Do you still have feeling for that bastard?”
She looks up at me.
“You don’t listen Paris”, she says
“I don’t listen ? You realize you average maybe 10 words a day to me.”
"One year. I was with Helios for one year. He trusted me to protect his life and I was always by his side-”
“He's an abusive jackass. That's not a relationship. Not like what Isobel and I had--”
I stop and she stands.
“When Helios came here I was the first Angel he laid his eyes on. There was something that burned between us since that day. To see a man work, sweat and live his life for 12 hours a day is more intimate that anything."
“. . . did you love him ?”
“He just understood me. We challenged and tempted each other. There's always been. . . fire between us”
“He’s cruel, Sera”
“I know. . . . I hate him and I love him at the same time. I don’t usual feel things Paris and he made me fee--.”
"No", I grab her wrist and she turns to me, "No. You don't' love him. You can't."
She seems taken aback, I immediately take my hands off her.
"Paris. . .I love you, but honestly what am I but a constellation prize
to your sweet Isobel Charter ?"
I shake my head.
"Is that why didn't tell me about the phone call ? I know Isobel called me in Boston and you hid my phone from me."
She puts the framed picture down and peers out the window.
"You didn't need the distraction."
"Distraction from what ? From spending time with you ? Are you jealous of her."
"She'd be a distraction from getting rid of Helios. You'd be too cautious trying to protect her--"
"Bullshit, and you know it. Just admit you're afraid of losing me to her. None of the men from your past or future will ever worship you like I will. I want to please you Sera. I want to make you happy. If I ever get down on one knee and ask you to marry me I'd be begging you to say yes.You don't want Helios to control you. . . you want to be the one in control. I'll give you that"
She pauses for a moment but gives me the most vicious look I'd ever seen. I'm not sure if it was because I compared our one month relationship to her years of previous experience. . . or because I insinuated I wanted to marry her one day. Either way I regretted it. Too much to fast.
"Listen to me, Paris. I can't stay in New York. When we get rid of Helios and SGI I plan to get out. Leave forever. . . and you won't go with me will you ?
". . . I can't . . .I have responsibilities. Father's company, St. Lilith's, the daemons."
"No matter what happens we won't end up together and the reason", she continues, " I didn't tell you about that call is because you don't need Isobel now. You'll need her later after I break your heart."
"No", she says looking . "Not today, anyway."
I reach out for her hand.
My vision goes from dark to light as the ground gets closer. Thunder cracks above me and the forest waits for me below. I brace myself for the end when I feel a force of air below me and see the Angel soar beneath me.
I collide into the Angel and we both plummet to the wet ground and roll into the dark wet floor of the forest. Mud and grass cling to my clothes and face as we come to a halt. I untangle myself from the Angel's wings and take in my surroundings. The rain blurs my vision, but I see the mouth of cave a few paces in the distance hidden between a dense patch of trees.
"This way", I shout as the Angel stands.
I limp towards the cave, the arrow the creature spit out at met is digging deeper in my side. The Angel is weighed down by her elaborate dress and trails behind me.
Inside the cave the ground inside is dry and dusty, outside underneath the rain's tempo I can hear the rumbling of the storm creature. I shiver thinking perhaps it is looking for us.
" A fire", I say, "We need to start a fire. To keep it away. The light. . . it can't bear the light"
The Angel's pale hair is damp around her face, her eyes red from the rain and smoke of the . . . monster. We had flown through the monster and whatever it was, it was like a living storm. Made of nothing but dark clouds, sulfur and rain.
I reach into my pocket to remove a flint and start a fire. When the flames catch on I finally feel safe, glad that we had at least knew fire was the creature's weakness. I hear the Angel's damp skirts move behind me as she settles near the fire
I grimace realizing what I have to do next. I look down at the arrow in my side. I break off the tip and pull it out of my body. It rips and makes a hellish noise. The Angel turns at the sound and removes a a drape of fabric from her elaborate dress and pulls it tight over my wound.
"I think I'll live", I decide admiring her handy work.
The Angels gazes into the fire, her arms wrapped around herself.
“You must want to go home”, I say “Is it cold . . . your home ? Are all Angel Villages made of marble, ice and snow."
She nods.
“Your wing”, I say, “The burned one. . . that is why you escaped the massacre of your village. Your wing caught on fire during the attack, that's why that creature spared you. . . I apologize if I talk to much. . . I don't want to fall asleep until I'm sure this wound won't kill me."
I inspect my wound again, the bleeding has stopped but it still didn't look good. She flattens her palm to my forehead, careful not to nick me with her talons then brings her hands down to my wound.
She shakes her head.
“I should live then. You saved me”, I tell her, "I thought I was going to fall to my death."
The Angel seems pleased and helps me to sit up. She kneels down in front of me and watches me with her wide pale eyes.
“That thing. . .”, I start
“The Tempest”, she whispers in her sing song voice giving it a name.
“Alright. The Tempest. It seems very powerful, I think we will need more than what we have to defeat it. Unless you have something magical.”
Her dress bobs as she shuffles forward, eyes knitted both offended and confused.
“It’s just you look like something.. . someone who would be magical is all. Don't Angels have special abilities ? Magic ?”
She carefully brings the pads of her finger to my head, slowly tracing where the calcified bone of my horns meets my skull. She traces the darken curves slowly then back down.
“I suppose I look as if I could be magical to, but alas I am not.”
She quickly takes her hand back and touches her nails together, they make an excited noise.
“What ? You know magic ?”, I ask.
She slowly opens and closes her eyes as an answer.
The
Angel gently taps on my side, which while not painful still burns a
little to the touch. She moves her hands in a way to mimic something has gone missing.
“You can make my pain disappear ? How ?”
She
shuffles over to me, I can see dirt being kicked up by her skirt. The
way the creature moves still mystified me. She kneels down into her
skirts so she is eye level to me. She draws a long talon from my head to
the thin skin under my eye and to my chin.
My chin is pointed up on her long talon, I can see into her pale eyes and I realize she is about to pierce my throat. I realize I'm useless to her injured. Now that she knows the creature--The Tempest-- weakness is fire she doesn't need me anymore. Just a quick motion and my throat would be cut. My pain would certainly be gone then.
“Please, don’t--”
Then her
soft lips meet my rough parched ones. For a moment there is a stillness
in the forest beyond the cave, even the rain seems to quiets and when it seems right our lips open. Her timidness and inexperince are obvious but I linger on the taste of
the rain and saltwater on her.
There was something electrifying and daring in the act, it was daintier than kissing a Demon woman. . . although when I thought about it I couldn’t recall any certain memory of--
I
pulled away. I found I had enjoyed the kiss much more than I had
expected. I let out a sort of breathy laugh, this delighted the Angel. .
. I think. I didn't think she had done it before.
“Ah. . . so you can do magic.”, I whispered. Because in that moment I truly had forgotten all about my pain.
This did delight her, she tapped her talons together.
“You should rest. . .we can hide from the tempest in the daylight and head back to Citadel. I think I may know a way to destroy the creature."
I settle against the cave wall and feel a shock of pain. The Angels busies herself trying to make me comfortable, but our supplies are limited.
"I will be fine", I assure her, "Although I found you earlier remedy. . . quite helpful in making me forget the pain."
The
Angel touches her lips at the memory and moves beside me, her dress falling like a tent as she settles down next to me. I turn to face her and her wise expression has the shyest of smiles. She turns her face to delicately kiss me again.
I feel the tips of her longs pointed nails and cool palms dance across my clothed chest and bare arms, her small hands hesitantly explore my chest and face as we kiss. She looks me in the eyes then down at my still hands. I realize her hands' exploration came with an invitation to reciprocate. An invitation I was to polite to refuse. Her wise, innocent and piercing eyes closed when my hands made purchase on her slight waist.
The creatures--The Tempest-- howled outside beating down fierce rain and wind. The fire inside the cave kept us warm and the Angel slowly remedied my pain until morning.
I bolt up in a cold but not unpleasant sweat. My feet hit the ground and before I can even think I'm out the door.
I land hard on my
back as Sera's hair brushes against my chest, her head bowed and palms pressed
into my chest. My teeth are buried deep into my lip, and she looks right into
my eyes daring me to make a sound, rolling her hips pushing herself
into me. I wrap my arms tight around her waist and with some effort switch our
position until she's flat on her back.
I'd been half afraid Helios might be with her when I made it to Brooklyn, but
Seraphina was powering away on her elliptical at midnight when I reached her
balcony. She was sweating from working out, her hair clinging around her
neck and she looked beautiful and powerful at the same time.
I'd followed her
into the shower and we'd made love on the shower floor under the cool spray of
water skin completely bared and nothing off limits.The tense expression she
usually wore melted when I slid my hand up her thighs and whispered to her that
I loved her over and over again.
.
Afterward I had been very clean and dry. The thick sweet smell of her soap and
oil was burned into my senses. I probably should have left after she dressed
but I had a surprising weakness for women in black silk and eventually we
made it to her bed. She bring her hands up and around my neck, pulling me down to her I feel the
sharp points of her heels skim my back and dig into my backside.The chemise that clung
to her sweat soaked body had made my trek across Manhattan worth it. She
pushes me back over so she's on top again, she feels so good I come inside her
in seconds.
She kisses me from the top of my head down my neck and chest before settling on
her side of the bed. A long silence follows.
"So. . .What's gotten into you.", she finally asks, " I thought
we were fighting."
"I had this. . . dream and I just really had to--"
"You can't just show up unannounced liked this", she cuts in,
"Helios is getting strict with security. He could have been here, He could
have been conscious."
"Conscious ?"
"I've been drugging him. He's been persistent.", she says passively.
" I just really had to see you", I said, "Trust me climbing your
trellis with a hard-on was not easy."
She didn't dignify that with a response and kisses me again, she'd stretched
out her full figure on the bed the black silk she was wearing fit her muscular
hips like a glove, she kicks off her red stilettos and they hit the floor with
a distinctive click.
"Um, Seraphina. . . do you ever have . . . dreams ?"
She raises an eyebrow at me.
"I mean not those kind of dreams. Just dreams that feel like. . .something
else."
"No. Why ?"
I know why I'm asking her but at the same time, I don't want to sound crazy.
"Nothing.. . I should go. It's . . . oh shit . . . it's almost 5 am."
I ease out from next to her, finding my pants and shoes on the floor. On
her vanity I see a large pile of Father's journals. They ranged from
large leather bound tomes to small Moleskines towards the end. She had been
requesting more and more of them from his collection. They looked like they'd
been paged through dozens of times.
"You've really never read Father's journals have you ?", she asks
while putting up her hair, she'd noticed my staring at the journals.
"Not much of a reader . . are they any good."
She gestured for me to take one.
I pick up one of the older ones. It was dated 1944 and inside every line was
filled in. I skimmed a few pages of mundane musing and ruminations. My own name
stuck out to me on almost every page. I turn another page and two pieces of
faded paper with rounded edges falls out.
I pick one up and realize it is an old photograph. I flip it over and see a
black and white gauzy headshot of a woman . The woman's long hair is in loose
pin curls and she's looking slightly mischievous over her exposed shoulder .
Those eyes--her eyes--have a smouldering expression.
My eyes flicker up and then back down to the photograph and then at her. I break
into a wide grin, that tugs at my scars. Then I let out a low whistle.
"Well, if more men had dames like this to come home to I reckon they would
have tried to win the war much faster."
Sera doesn't seem amused but watches me reach for the other photograph and I
hope it's along the same vein as the first. maybe with a little more leg, then
I remember where I found the photos and hope otherwise.The next photo is of a doe-eyed solider with an off center gaze, mussed cap and
a bevy of torn, scarred skin pulled so tight and cut so deep it wrinkles and
forms a reluctance smile. I grimace at it. Someone none the wiser might have
thought the scars were a result of the war.
Of all people why would Hmjeu keep pictures of us.
"Well, what a fine pair these two would make."
She sit up and gives almost the same expression she has in the photo
" I think", she takes the photos from me and studies them, "You
need to stop living in the past.. .. but you can keep this encase you have
anymore . . . dreams."
She leaves a light lipstick mark on the back before handing it back, I pocket
her picture carefully and reluctantly head to the window.
"I'm just glad you aren't going to break my heart tonight."
She frowns and sits up.
"Paris why do you love Isobel ?"
"I don't lov--"
"Why did you love her ?", she corrects herself.
I thought back to when this all started. When I decided to propose to Isobel.
It had been after Helios blew up the shops. At the funerals she was comforting
those around her. She was poised and empathetic
"If I wanted someone to be my better half. . . it would have been
her. She was fun, spontaneous, bright, smart, curious. She could be like
sunlight in my dull world--- I. . . I screwed her over. Didn't I ?"
She lifts her shoulders.
"I can't think about that, I decide, "Especially considering that I want
to take you out on a date... a real date."
"I can't getaway.", she decides.
"Find a way"
"Paris, this isn't going to end well for us. I love you, Paris. . . but
you deserve your better half."
"And you.", I make it back over to her bed and kiss her,
"Deserve yours."
That one almost got me a smile.
Something hard rams against her bedroom door.The handle turns but the door is
thankfully locked. Seraphina gives me a pointed look, since I'd made the
mistake of not locking my door the first time we were together. The door jumps
on its hinges again.
"Seraphina", it's Helios' voice. I see one of the hinges on the door
bend, "Seraphina"
I look over at her balcony, the sun is starting to rise. I can see people
walking in the courtyard below. Shit. Seraphina shoves me into the back
of her closet and closes the double french doors.
She unlocks her bedroom door and I hear Helio's heavy breathing. He'd almost
rammed the fucking door down.
"What the hell, why was your door locked. I thought something happened to
you. . ."
"I was trying to keep out Ariel. She's being reckless."
"She's a sweet girl. You two should make amends. We might need her."
I hear the bed springs and realize Seraphina is standing.
"It's early. Isn't it I who she be coming to you ?", she says.
He hesitates, I hear the sigh that comes after one of Helios' wide smiles.
"Seraphina, I haven't been forthright with you. Things are in motion for a
great change and I want you and even Leon to know what this has all been
for. I'm motivated now more than ever. I'm going to make you a goddess--
"What is it Helios ?."
"You've given me so much, Seraphina. I want to make you the most powerful Angel alive. But first"
"Tell me", Seraphina voice is low, "Let me in Helios."
I lean in to listen
"Shh", he says, "First . . ."
I close my eyes during the long silence that follows and stand very still. The
silence is broken by a low murmur and a slow exhale and sharp inhale. I cringe
realizing he's kissing her and maybe putting his hands on her and
she has no reason to stop him. I grit my teeth to keep from reacting.
"Why the fuck are you wearing black", he practically purrs to
her.
"It's just a dress slip", she says but there is something
playful in her voice.
"I hate you in black, take it off."
"Helios--wait--"
"Take it off."
"Fuck", I hear rare curse from Seraphina and the ground tremors.
I realize she had fallen.
"Seraphina ? Get up, are you alright ?", Helios voice goes soft.
I hear something slam into the wall followed by the object bouncing off
off the wall and hitting the floor. It repeats It was her shoes. She
topped--fake tripped, I hope-- over her shoes.
"I don't know. I think I ripped my stitches.", Seraphina responds,
"I should go down to medical, help me. We should go while everyone is at
breakfast"
I take the last sentiment as a hint to me. I hear some more shuffling and her
picking up a robe.I hear the door open and close, when I'm sure the room is
empty I step out.
I could make it out of Queen Anne's if I was careful, but I had to get through
Brooklyn without the SGI Helios had patrolling the streets, waiting for us to attack
again. There was only one person I knew who could probably call in a favor and
get me discretely out of Brooklyn. I pulled out my phone and started to dial,
realizing I was never going to hear the end of this.