Angel Magic (16 page)

 
She made herself quit thinking about the future or a possible relationship, because she was beginning to feel weepy. They were together under extraordinary circumstances. Who knew what the future would bring? And they still had to face Kaphawn.

 
Even worse, I have to face Mom.

 
In the morning, Kari was pleased to find her clothes clean. Rahmiel hustled her into the gorgeous bath where he lifted her up against a sunny crystal wall and taught her how to have a quickie, with her legs wrapped around his waist, his large hands cupping her buttocks and his fingers doing naughty things all the while. Then they showered, dressed and went down to the dining room.

 
The dining room was on a terrace made of blue veined marble and shaped in scallops. Broad stairs led to a garden full of bright flowers. Food covered an enormous table of the same stone.

 
“Good morning,“ Kaliel greeted them. “I trust you slept well. Please help yourself to the meal.”

 
“Your table is lovely,” Kari said. She sat down near Tehmuel, who had a plate heaped with food.

 
Kari was pleased to find fruit and bread. There was a creamy white substance that she thought might be whipped cream or butter, so she avoided it. Rahmiel ate some type of meat, ham maybe, cut in fancy shapes. She refused that.

 
“You need to eat something besides fruit and bread,” he said.

 
Kari popped a grape into her mouth and looked at him through her lashes. “You don’t get to tell me what to eat.”

 
“Be reasonable, Kari. You need meat.” He placed a large scoop of the shaped food onto her plate.

 
He was right, she did need protein, but now she was mad.

 
“That’s too much,” she protested. “I have no idea what that stuff is, so I don’t know how much of it I can eat.”

 
“It will not make you fat,” he said.

 
She scowled at him, furious that he treated her like a child in front of his friends.

 
She popped another grape into her mouth and chewed fast.

 
Rahmiel rolled his eyes and sighed. “Fine. Here, I will take most of it.” He scraped most of the serving onto his own plate, leaving her with just a few pieces.

 
Kari noticed the others watching them with interest and blushed. “Thank you, Rahmiel. I’m sure it is delicious. I just don’t want to eat too much.” She took a bite of the shaped food and found it tasted somewhat like eggs with ham. She ate while Rahmiel and Tehmuel talked.

 
“I talked to some of the Guardians last night. Many are very tired of the way Lemuel has been leading this group. Several who would like to help are coming over this morning.” Tehmuel spoke as he added another helping of food to his plate.

 
“I want to see if I can teach you how to get to Ether, Tehmuel. If we could utilize the Ether, it would give us a surprise option against Kaphawn. Perhaps we could teach these other Guardians, if they desire to fight with us.”

 
“Rahmiel, I have persuaded the High Council to allow you to hunt for Kaphawn unimpeded. Lemuel answers to the Council. I don’t know what the Assembly will decide to do with you in the future, but considering you’ve bound the girl…” Kaliel shrugged.

 
It occurred to Kari that when Kaphawn was gone, they might decide to put Rahmiel back into the ice prison. The thought of Rahmiel wrapped in ice horrified her. He needed to be warm. He needed to be touched.

 
She suddenly felt close to tears. “Rahmiel?” She gripped his arm.

 
Kaliel and Tehmuel were both talking about the men who would join them this morning, but Rahmiel immediately focused on her.

 
“Could we go back to our room?” She suddenly didn’t feel like being on this beautiful terrace full of people.

 
“Certainly. Kaliel, Tehmuel, I’ll be back in a short while.”

 
Kari and Rahmiel left the dining room. Rahmiel grabbed her hand.

 
“Are you all right?” He took her to a sitting room furnished in cool colors, but rich textures.

 
“Do you think they will really send you back to ice?”

 
“No, I don’t. But if they try, well, I know how to navigate the Ether now. They can’t keep me in ice.”

 
“But if you go to Earth, they will find you.”

 
“Yes. But there are different dimensions.”

 
“Oh.” He sounded like checking out different dimensions might be fun. Better than ice, she guessed.

             
“I will be fine, little one.”

 
Kari touched his face. She wanted him safe, but she wanted to be with him, too. But for now, she needed to focus on keeping her mother safe. “I need to get back home. I don’t want to be late picking up Mom. She is going to freak when I bring her here.”

 
“It will only be for a short time. We have a good chance against Kaphawn, because he is still weak.” He paused. “I wish we didn’t have to use you as bait. I wish there was another way.”

 
“There isn’t, is there?”

 
“No.”

 
She kissed him, gently.

 
“I must go,” he said after a few moments of kissing. “The Guardians who wish to fight with us will be here. Do you want to be with me for this meeting?”

 
“No. You’re going to try to teach them to get to the Ether, right?”

 
He nodded.

 
“I think I’ll spend the morning with Amber and Tressa. But I have no idea how to get to her room.”

 
Rahmiel chuckled. “I will get you to her room. Then, after the midday
meal
we will go get your mother.”

 
Kari groaned. “My mother. Do you have any idea how hard it’s going to be to explain this to her?”

 
“One more thing to worry about, hmm? Come on, let’s get you to
Amber
.” He grabbed her under the arms, but one of his hands deliberately cupped her breast, making her squeal and giggle as he flew her through the corridors to Amber’s room. At the door he gave her a hard kiss before he hurried away.

* * * *

Amber was sitting up in a bed with a breakfast tray on her lap. Auriel and Tressa sat on a couch nearby, also eating. She looked healthy.
           

Kari embraced Amber. “You look terrific. I saw you last night, but Kaliel had you in a restorative sleep.“

 
“I feel well, a little sore. But I can eat some food.” Her tray held some type of mashed fruit and a mushy type of cereal.

 
“Kari, look.” Amber pulled up her shirt to show a long red scar that sliced diagonally across her abdomen. “Kaliel says that by tomorrow I won’t even have a mark. But I will still be tired and need to rest for a few days.”

 
Kari swallowed hard as her breakfast lurched in her stomach. That was a mortal wound. Didn’t Amber realize that?

 
“You could have died.”

 
“Yes. If we hadn’t come to the Overland, I would have died. All my internal organs

 
—” She paused as Kari pressed a hand to her lips. “Are you all right?”

 
“Too much excitement, I think.” She sat down in a chair next to the bed and took a few deep breaths. “And I just realized that my mom’s living room probably looks like a slaughter house. My blood, along with yours, Auriel’s and
Rahmiel’s
all over it.”

 
“There’s some broken furniture, too, “Auriel said.

 
“Great.”

 
“Rahmiel was hurt?” Amber asked.

 
“Not bad. Just some cuts on his arm. Kaliel healed them by running something over them.
Immediately, too.
You can’t even see them, today.”

 
“Kari, I’ll help you clean up the living room,” Tressa said. “I’m a whiz with a rug doctor.”

 
“Thanks, but there’s no use doing it until we get rid of the demon. It could get messed up again.”

 
Tressa nodded. “Let me know. I wouldn’t mind driving up and helping out.”

 
“Thanks.” Kari appreciated her kindness. It sounded like she and Mom were going to need all the help they could get.

 
“Where’s Rahmiel?” Auriel asked.

 
“He’s meeting with some Guardians who want to help. He’s going to teach them how to get to Ether.”

 
Auriel frowned and tossed his bread onto his tray. “I’m inviting myself.” He left the room with a hard flap of wings.

 
“We are going to bring my mom here, to keep her safe.” Kari told Amber and Tressa.

 
“Well, I guess she’ll know about Rahmiel then,” Amber said.

 
Kari nodded. “He’s going with me to meet her at the airport. He’s going to bring her here. So she’ll know he’s an Angel.”

 
“You probably don’t want to mention anything about the binding. Or the sex.”

 
Tressa said with a smile.

 
Kari could just see trying to explain that to her mother. “Right.”

 
“But you’ll have to explain a lot to your mom, if you plan to keep staying with Rahmiel at night,” Amber said.

 
“Oh, I hadn’t even thought about that,” Kari wailed. “Do you think Mom will like him?”

 
Tressa laughed. “What’s not to like?”

 
Amber grinned. “You are not thinking like Kari’s mom, Tressa. Remember, Kari is the precious only child. Her mom is looking at earning potential in her baby’s dates.

 
Not muscles and gorgeous cheekbones.”

 
“But if he’s going with you to the airport he’ll have to do more than phase his wings. He’s going to need clothes,” Amber continued.

 
“Right. And he has no money. And my purse is back at Tressa’s.” Kari slumped back on the couch with a sigh.

 
Amber giggled. “Dating an Angel who flies you around everywhere sounds complicated.”

 
Tressa got up and returned with a purse. She handed Kari several bills. “Here. I had time to pack a few things, unlike you girls.”

 
Kari was touched. “Thanks, Tressa. I’ll pay you back.”

 
“Didn’t I hear something about Auriel binding you?” Kari asked a moment later.

 
“I’m sure I heard something about that last night.”

 
Amber’s eyes got huge. “Really? But you are going to kill the demon tonight, or stop it, right?”

 
“I hope so.” Kari was trying hard not to think about her part in the upcoming confrontation.

 
“Well, if it’s dead or defeated, then I don’t really need to go through the whole binding thing, right? No offense, but it seems pretty intense. And I’m not sure I want to get that intense with Auriel. He’s really nice, and he’s, you know, great looking. But I don’t think he is ready for a
bond woman
. Or that he would want me to be the one.”

 
“I don’t know about that, Amber. Rahmiel told me that Angels find humans really attractive.
Something to do with scent.
Oh, and that humans and Angels tend to have lots of children.”

 
Amber’s eyes opened wide. “You don’t think you’re—”

 
“No, I’m not pregnant. I’m on the shot. Just in case.”