An Angel's Ascent (19 page)

It was at this point I felt that whatever had left me and jumped into Cross was enough that I could regain myself. I felt my body slowly rise up. I was weightless, almost floating before them all. My head was back, the blood from my nose making its slow way to my neck. I felt my arms rise and fingers extend, they were pointing to the dingy white ceiling above; I noticed smoke damage, and realized I could think again. I shot the fire out of my body into the square tile above me. Flames licked along the ceiling in a starburst pattern briefly, before I sagged once more to the floor. It had happened in seconds so that the ceiling had not caught fire, but was blackened in a circle containing roughly nine tiles.

I was still hot like I had a fever, but the power within had been released. I looked at the door, and as I did I heard a click as the door swung open. Franks bewildered face was there, mouth hanging wide open as if in the middle of saying something. He took in the situation and was shocked to the point of silence. The guys were standing over Cross, who was coughing up blood. I looked over at him and immediately felt awful. His hair was standing straight up, eyes black and blue. His hand was charred black, but otherwise he seemed fine. He was breathing and trying to sit up.

I sat back on my butt and kept going until I was lying horizontally prone as Frank took a few steps in. I struggled to draw in precious oxygen. My back felt like someone had snapped it in two. My body was bruised and tender like a burn victim. I half expected to be black and charred to the bone. My head spun with the relief of it all. Nausea threatened slightly, urging me to sit up to slow the vertigo.

“
What the HELL is going on in here!!!” he bellowed, staring at the destruction I had wrought. Aries was leaning heavily against the coke machine, no longer pounding the wall. Oops, I think he had kicked the machine too, causing sparks to jump.

“
We don’t know. These two started convulsing, and something blew in the ceiling,” Switch said coming over to Frank. He whispered some things and waited for his reply.

“
If the music wasn’t so loud the whole club would have heard that. The police have been called.” He seemed more curious than angry. Weird...

“
It’s nothing major. We just need someone to check out that ceiling. I don’t know which happened first, but that wiring up there could be dangerous. We’ll tend to these two. Arch, Thorn, and Madness get Aries out of here. I'll stay here and talk to the authorities. Angel, let me help you to the couch.” He must have figured I was tame enough now. He would take the chance in touching me. I swayed and would have fallen had he not supported my weight.

“
No, I think they need to stay,” Frank said trying to take back charge.

“
They're not going far, we need to make sure that whatever happened doesn’t spread and cause us to have to evacuate.” Switch evaluated the scene, mentally finding some fathomable reason for this.

That got Franks attention. Vacating meant no more money. He decided to sing a whole new tune. He was just grateful for Switch’s quick intervention.

“
You guys do as he said,” Frank said trying to hold onto his dignity.

Cross was coughing black smoke. He didn’t look so good, reminding me of someone who had just got electrocuted. His hair actually singed. He was alive at least. He needed blood bad.

“
Just tell them you don’t know what happened, you must have been unconscious, but your fine now. Go along with what I say or do. Here are some paper towels, try to get the blood cleaned up. We can’t have you in the hospital,” Switch whispered into my ear.

Aries looked torn in two, like he’d seen his child just be ripped to shreds and he wanted a parents revenge. Could I honestly mean that much to him? I wanted to go to him, but I also wanted to take that look from him. He left with a puppy dog expression that had me torn up inside.

Kali must not have been able to hold in the power that she had stored up anymore and had to release it somehow, which meant through me. Yay me…

Cops came and went, careful to go through the back door so as not to disturb the customers. They asked questions and had professionals check the wiring behind the fried tiles. And an hour later Frank came in to give me the details. He wasn’t happy, but didn’t seem quite as angry either which was very good.

“
It seems something overloaded sending electricity surging through here where it found you two. They said it jumped into you guys and was so hot that it melted the wires and burnt the ceiling. They found it odd the outside of the ceiling was burnt and not the inside where the wires were.”

I nodded. The paramedics had said I was fine but tried to insist I ride to the hospital to be checked out. I refused. It seemed the amount of blood from my nose bleed was a little odd. The paramedics wanted Cross to definitely ride, but Cross said he just needed breathing room. Finally, they let us go.

The others had disappeared, most likely back to my place. I didn’t know for sure, but that’s all I could figure.

Switch asked me to come with him, he had to hold me, or I’d have fallen several times. We finally made it to his car with Cross who climbed into the back allowing me the front seat, which was nice of him. I was sure he was just as jumpy as I was from our fiery experience. I tried to relax, but my body was overcoming the shock, now screaming to be with Aries, my breathing had increased rapidly.

I was beginning to hyperventilate, while my body began to cramp and seize up. Once again I felt like I’d be ripped apart. My life couldn’t get much worse than this…

I felt the hole more with each second. My shaking caught their attention, causing Switch to speed up. Once we were parked Switch scooped me up and carried me inside. How did he know where I lived?

Aries met him on the stairs where they passed me from one set of arms to the next.

I snuggled into him as he put a death grip on me. The guys made themselves comfortable, but most of them stayed clear of me. I must have scared them. Cross seemed fine, though. They reflected on what had just happened, unsure as how to proceed from here.

“
Yep, I won't mess with your girlfriend Aries. She can definitely hold her own. Do Not Make Her Angry!” Switch said trying to make it a joke. The leader in him taking over once more, trying to make sense of things still, just like the others.

“
I could’ve told you that,” Cross said, wagging his eyebrows at me. His sarcasm was quite obvious, even though he made it into a joke, as well.

He didn’t seem angry just somewhat worried. Who wouldn’t be I thought to myself? I could understand why he would feel that way. I mean I just fried him crispy. I know if it had been me I wouldn’t want to even go near the one who had fried my ass.

Aries carried me to my room, away from the others. He’d just experienced something he thought would never happen. He had fallen in love and then had to stand by idly, unable to do anything but be a Neanderthal. Bang me over the head and drag me by the foot into a cave, I didn’t care. It would’ve hurt a whole hell of a lot less I thought to myself. Concern, panic, and anger flowed off him still, as well as self-doubt. I was starting to worry about him.

“
I’m fine, now that I’m with you. Are you okay?” I had noticed dried blood on his hands. Frank had asked Switch about his machine, and he told him that they would buy him a new one.

I sat up and pulled him to the bathroom. I poured peroxide over his knuckles and wrapped gauze around them. “I’m sorry that I reacted in such a way. I knew that I couldn’t help you even though my body and soul demanded it. Then I felt the need to hurt something for hurting you. I should have been there for you. Been the one hurt, instead of Cross. I make really awful decisions sometimes because my emotions get away from me. I may have only known you a few days, but you mean more to me than all the people I know combined.” I was awed as well as a little surprised by this, even though I shouldn’t be. I felt the same way for him… somehow.

“
I don’t blame you for the way you reacted. Neither does Cross I’m sure. I’m confused. Last thing Kali said was I'm sorry. Like she knew what would happen,” I whispered.

“
I guess she didn't want to hurt you. She needed to give you her powers though. You have to learn to use them,” he said pulling me back to my room, laying me on the bed and climbing in beside me, holding me tightly in his arms. I’d never felt more loved in my entire life than I did at this very moment.

“
Yeah, but I can't have fried Undead Ones everywhere, or innocent people taking the fall.” I wouldn’t allow somebody to die just because I was consumed by lethal heat.

“
Well, rest while I talk to the guys and find out more about this island. The sooner we move there the better I think.” He looked into my eyes for a brief moment before unwinding his arms.

I nodded. He kissed me and shut the door. I was exhausted. Playing goddess today had its drawbacks, for sure.

I found a comfy position after a few minutes and slipped off into the dream world. My body was so drained. I’d never done any magic without words before, if this was magic anyways. My body didn’t have the amount of energy that was needed to execute such a drastic power. My muscles were knotted, and achy, my skin super tender and my nerves shot beyond repair. Coma-like sleep would be the only thing to heal me enough to deal.

Two hours or so later I awoke to Aries lying beside me facing me, as close as he could be without waking me. Just opening the door should have waked me. I was dead to the world I guess, and none the wiser. Which was very good, I had not felt the pain of my battered body, as I was now.

Aries must have guessed from my expression how I felt, or the way I groaned when I stretched. He rolled me over and began to massage my arms, back, and legs while he updated me.

“
Hey love. How are you feeling?”

I groaned like a zombie into my pillow.

“
We found out where the island is. It’s still a small village. It seems that the island is very small, could hold I’d say six hundred people or so. Probably four-fifty would be better, so the woods on one side could hold enough food and wildlife to support us. I got Cross and Switch finding out how soon we could fly there, and maybe live there. Arch and Madness are wrapping up the business for us, and Thorn is contacting our manager to see how much we are worth. I’d say somewhere in the hundreds of millions, which should be just enough to make the island livable for ten or more years.”

I mumbled a halfhearted response. Aries sighed as he reached my shoulders.

“
We’ll need some generators at first, but we need to install solar panels for the majority of the electric. So my point here is, it’s going to be pricey, but we should have enough. Thorn also is contacting a distant cousin who owns a cabin up north who’d let you and I stay there until the guys could arrange living conditions for us.”

“
I’m happy in a hammock if need be, as long as there’s no fireworks again,” the first part was pretty much true, especially right at this moment. I was putty in his capable hands. Purring just like a little kitten while wondering if the fringe benefits were worth all of the torment.

He smiled at that and kissed the tip of my nose. The weirdest sensation went through me. A tiny gesture like this had broken me; I was now irrevocably without doubt, his forevermore.

“
Maybe, but if you went nuclear again we don’t want innocent people hurt. Oh get this. The island seems to be just a huge monastery, with nuns who run an orphanage. The population is only around a hundred. After we hire staff and techs, the island will be full. Someone has to keep the place running after all hell breaks loose. The lady told me as well there’ve been caves underneath the island for about three hundred years. It’s more or less sanctuary or a bunker for bad storms. But the cave runs under the whole island so everyone could stay there while Kali wreaks her vengeance. There’s history there, so the government refused to let civilians take over. She also said the nuns there are of Kali's order and have been waiting for us.” Aries magical hands were not impeded by any of this talk, for which I was immensely grateful.

“
It would seem Kali works in mysterious ways. I’m glad she was planning for this a long time ago.” I could barely speak, thinking only of how she put me here with this amazing, god-like creature, perfect in so many ways. How had some other woman not found him? For him to be so lonely, was beyond me.

“
We’d have to weather the seven days under ground, but when it’s over we could come out. Weather shouldn’t be too bad, but we think we shouldn’t begin too much rebuilding until after, in case something is damaged. That’s what makes all this so expensive. It has to be reinforced to withstand hurricanes and gale force winds. The closest land mass is less than a days away, so any mainland activities shouldn’t reach us, like earth quakes.”

“
Mother... the weather won't destroy anything, rain and maybe heavy winds. You’ll all be safer in the cave though.” With that Kali was gone again.

It was going to be really hard getting used to another entity inside me. One that could come and go at will, that could listen to anything, at any time. If I told some random stranger this, I’d be certifiably admitted.

“
You guys got a lot done in two hours,” I said burrowing into his chest.

“
A lot of it was talking to Sister Kara. I told her who we were, and she got excited and said it was about time.”

I thought I’d like this Sister Kara. We’d get along great if she could handle my acerbic attitude.