Angel Magic (8 page)

 
“I don’t think that would be a good idea, Rahmiel. We’ll talk in a few hours.”

 
He stormed out of the room.

 
Amber raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “Wow, you’d rather sleep with me than him?”

 
“Well, not really. But I told him no sex until we know each other better, and if I sleep with him I’ll probably jump him.”

 
“No doubt,” Amber said in a faint voice. Then she frowned. “Was he pouting? Was his bottom lip sticking out? Can Angels pout?”

 
“I’m pretty sure they can. He didn’t like the
no
sex idea.” Kari buried her face in her pillow, embarrassed.

 
Amber started to giggle. “An Angel pouting.”

 
Kari joined her. Suddenly, everything seemed hilarious.

 
“There is no way I’m going to be able to sleep now, Amber said, climbing out of bed. “Plus, Tressa might feel a little uncomfortable with those Angels. I’m going to help her cook.”

 
“All right.
I don’t know if I can sleep, either, but I think I’ll try.”

 
Rahmiel could hear the girls giggling as he stomped down the stairway to join his friends.

 
The older woman, Tressa, was busy cooking, and Tehmuel was helping her by cracking eggs into a bowl. Rahmiel snorted. He could probably win a bet that Tehmuel hadn’t cracked an egg in five thousand years or more. These guys must be bored to the point of insanity in Angel land.

 
He went in the living room. The boy was playing with a small house cat. Rahmiel looked at the cat with interest. The last pet cats he’d seen on Earth had been quite a bit larger than this
long haired
fluff ball.

 
“So, why aren’t you asleep with your girl?” The boy’s tone was only a little mocking.

 
“She said that we don’t know each other well enough and we have to wait until we know each other better, talk and stuff. She went to sleep in the other girl’s room.”

 
Auriel grinned. “Hmm. I thought you said she was just crazy about you.”

 
Rahmiel frowned. Boys his age could be so obnoxious. He remembered that now.

 
“She’s been through a lot. She’s tired and needs her sleep.”

 
“Maybe she doesn’t know human women are supposed to be subservient to their Angel lovers? Wasn’t that part of that oath you all made human women take years ago?”

 
“I never made any woman take that idiotic oath. That came from one of those tribes of Angel worshipers.” Rahmiel shuddered. “I avoided those women. How would you know about that, lad? You weren’t even a babe in arms back in those days.”

 
Auriel shrugged. “I was tutored at the Grand Library. My tutor would fall asleep, and I would wander around, reading stuff.”

 
Rahmiel snorted. “You sure didn’t have our tutor, old Samuel. He had a way with electrical zaps. He’d rub his fingers together, and man, you’d get it.”

 
“Actually, I do have Samuel. He’s just really old now,” the boy said politely.

 
“Right.” Rahmiel had studied under him. He’d probably be decrepit by now. “Well, I’ve missed a lot, no doubt.” He slumped onto the couch, aware that delicious smells were now wafting from the kitchen. He could hear Tehmuel’s delighted voice.

 
“What are you watching?” he asked the boy.

 
“I can’t remember. I don’t read this language. Lady Tressa said I would look just like this one character if I grew my hair and braided it and dyed it yellow.”

 
“Lady Tressa, who do I look like again?” he called.

 
“Just call me Tressa. And the character is called Legolas.”

 
“Ahh, the elf,” Rahmiel said. “I heard about this movie when I was in prison.”

 
“Breakfast is ready. Come help yourselves.”

 
Amber came into the kitchen and started putting food on plates. “I can’t sleep with all this going on. Let me help.”

 
The women served the Angels coffee, pancakes with butter and syrup, and bacon.

 
The Angels crowded around Tressa’s large table and Amber showed them how to use the flatware.

 
“Well, this is delicious,”
Tehmuel
said. “I forgot how much I missed human food.

 
Why don’t we have food like this in the Overland?”

 
“Because it’s full of fat and refined carbs,” Kari said from the doorway in a waspish voice. Her pretty face had a frown.

 
“Couldn’t you sleep little one?” Rahmiel asked Kari, who remained in the doorway.

 
She gave him a dirty look. “Don’t call me that. And no, I couldn’t sleep. I’m hungry.”

 
“I’ll get you a plate,” Tressa said, hopping up from the table.

 
Kari stared at her with a horrified expression on her face. “Pancakes with butter and syrup?
And eggs with cheese?
Bacon? No thanks. I’m trying not to turn into lard.”

 
Rahmiel looked closer at Kari. Her hair was wild and uncombed, and she was wearing a baggy sleep garment that concealed her lovely body. She looked tired and unhappy, and suddenly he was flooded with remorse. He had worn the poor girl out.

 
He should be doing a better job of taking care of her.

 
“Kari, you need to eat. You need some protein. I know you don’t want to gain weight, but you are going to have to eat. Last night you had two bites of your cheeseburger and a couple diet cokes,” Amber spoke softly but there was a hint of a scold in her voice.

 
Kari pouted. “Well, I can’t eat that.” She waved a hand over the table.

 
“Sure you can. Just a little.” Amber started fixing a plate, with a dab of eggs, one strip of bacon and a small pancake. “Look, no butter. And you can drink water. Or black coffee. Later, you can have some fruit for a snack.”

 
Kari snatched the plate and sat down on the chair next to Rahmiel. She didn’t look at him at all as she lifted her bacon to her mouth and chewed, still frowning.

 
“So, Rahmiel, this is your sweet girl?” Tehmuel asked with a smirk.

 
Kari gave him a scowl.

 
Auriel snorted, and stuffed half a pancake into his mouth. “So, she would be a human who hasn’t taken that oath, right?”

 
Kari put her bacon down and looked at Rahmiel. “What oath? I didn’t take any oaths, did I?” she narrowed her eyes at Rahmiel.

 
Rahmiel gave Amber a desperate look. “This is a lack of food, right?”

 
Amber nodded.

 
“Uh, no oaths, Kari. Nobody took oaths. Well, we did the binding, that is a little like an oath, but it’s not the oath Auriel is talking about. I would never expect you to take that oath.”

 
Auriel snickered. “Maybe you took the oath, Rahmiel,” he teased. Rahmiel ignored him.

 
“You look tired, Kari. Maybe you should go back to bed for awhile after you eat,”

 
Amber said. “I slept some on the way down, but you drove almost the whole way.”

 
“We should all get some sleep. Tonight we will need all our energy to hunt the demon,” Rahmiel said. “Are you and the boy going back to the Overland to rest? We will need to meet before sundown.”

 
“I don’t want to go back to the Overland. I want to take a walk and look at Earth things,” Auriel said. “I want to be outside.”

 
“Yes, I would like that too,”
Tehmuel
said. “I’ve missed Earth.”

 
“My property goes down to a small creek,” Tressa said. “I’ve cleared a small area, big enough for a picnic blanket and a couple of chairs. Sometimes I go down there and fish a little.”

 
“Fish?” Tehmuel suddenly sat up straight up in his chair. “I used to love to fish.

 
Auriel, come fishing with me. I’ll teach you.” He looked at Tressa with large, imploring eyes. “You have equipment? That we could borrow?”

 
“Sure. I expect it’s a little different than what you were used to all those thousands of years ago.”

 
“What about your wings?” Amber asked. “Won’t it seem pretty weird to the neighbors if guys with wings are all over the place?”

 
Auriel grinned at her, revealing white teeth and deep dimples. “We can
phase
them out.” He shrugged each shoulder, and his wings vanished.

 
She gaped at him in astonishment. “How’d you do that?”

 
“Come fishing with us and I’ll try to explain it to you, which will take a long time. It is very complicated.”

 
While the four discussed fishing, Rahmiel scooted his chair closer to Kari. “Come with me to my island, Kari. It will be peaceful. We can get to know each other, nap in the warmth.”

 
Kari looked around the dining table in shock. A horrendous demon was on the loose, and they were all talking like they were planning vacations. Rahmiel sounded like he was planning a honeymoon.

 
“People—did everyone go crazy here? Don’t we need to make plans and stuff? And who did the demon kill last night?” She turned to
Amber
. “Amber, it could be someone we know.”

 
Amber leapt up. “I hadn’t thought of that. Tressa, can I use your computer? I want to see the news.”

 
“Sure.”

 
Amber and Kari went to the living room and read the news on the Internet.

 
Rahmiel and Auriel followed. Rahmiel was trying to explain a computer to the younger man.

 
“There was a couple, found dead in their house. Anorexic. That would be the demon, wouldn’t it?” Amber asked.

 
“Do you know them?” Amber asked Kari. “I don’t.”

 
Kari shook her head. “They are strangers.”

 
“Yes, that is the demon’s work,” Rahmiel said. “And it was a kill of only two, which means he is still weak, which is to our advantage. Better to fight him now than after a thousand kills.”

 
“So we will all meet to make the big plan?” Kari asked.

 
Rahmiel shrugged and his crystal eyes roved over her face. “With this demon, there is only one plan. We know he’ll be checking your home for you. We’ll wait for him to show up, and fight him.”

 
“Wait a minute—I’m bait?” Kari’s irritated expression fled, and her eyes grew wide with fear.

Chapter Six

 
Rahmiel slid an arm around her. “Shush. The binding really did work, and will help keep you safe. I did not lie about that.”

 
“Help keep me safe? It’s not a hundred percent?” her voice came out squeaky.

 
“Nothing is completely safe, not with an ancient power like this.”

 
“I really have to be there?”

 
He nodded. “He wants you, to finish the job.”

 
Kari stood pressed next to him, a stunned expression on her face. “So, this is what it feels like to be one of the good guys.”

 
“Kari, come with me to the island. A pleasant day will help make you feel stronger.”

 
“I agree,” Amber said. “I think you should grab the blanket from your car and some sunscreen, and spend the day at that island. It will help you relax. Plus, you two can talk.”