Angel's Curse (3 page)

I needed a dance partner, plain and simple. I couldn’t find one at school. I wasn’t allowed out after school and had to come straight home if I didn’t want to be beaten senseless. Once home I was trapped within the confines of the house and garden … and the garden included the bungalow.

The first time I knocked on David’s door he lashed out at me.

“Fuck off and leave me alone! What the
fuck
do you need me for anyway?
You have my parents!
”

He slammed the door in my face.

I was used to verbal abuse. Sticks and stones and all that. Words could hurt, but not as much as a punch to the stomach. I had learned that long ago.

I looked back to the house and was grateful no one had heard his outburst. I could hear laughter, and the sound of the TV in the background. They must be watching whatever show it was that was the flavour of the month. It wouldn’t bode well if I was found annoying David, but I couldn’t give up yet. I knocked on the door again — short, sharp raps of urgency this time.

“
What?
” he yelled.

“I need your help.”

“What do you need
my help for?
Go ask
Mum and Dad!
” Such venom and spite. “They’ll be only
too happy
to help with whatever you need.”

“Please, David,” I said in my most pathetic and helpless voice, “I need someone closer to my own age and height for this.”

That had piqued his curiosity. He opened the door, just a little, so I could see his face.

“I’ll offer you something in exchange for your help. Can I at least come in and tell you about it?”

The door opened wider and he beckoned me in. I’d never been in the bungalow before. He wasn’t much of a housekeeper and it looked like his Mum didn’t venture out here too often.

He didn’t offer me a seat and didn’t sit down himself. It was unmistakable that he didn’t like having me in his personal space. Maybe what I was going to propose was a bad idea. He folded his arms across his chest and frowned at me.

“So, what do
you
want from
me?
”

“Please don’t laugh, but I need someone to practice dancing with. I thought maybe you could help me. I don’t want you parents to know I’m doing it.”

“I’m surprised they haven’t lashed out for you to have lessons!”

“They’re
very
expensive and my welfare payments wouldn’t cover them,” I said in a sombre voice.

What else could I say — that his parents were only interested in horizontal dance lessons and you didn’t need to pay for those? In fact other people paid
them
to
give
me lessons.

“And what do I get in return if I help you? I don’t reckon you’ve got much I’d want. What
great thing
do you think you have that might convince me to
dance
with
you?
”

No time for subtleties now, I needed to get my point across plain and simple. My heart was racing. What if it backfired and he told his parents? I had to take the chance.

“You get this,” I grabbed his hand and shoved it up under my top until his warm palm rested on the small bud of my breast, “and any other part of me you want.”

“You’re offering me
sex
in exchange for dancing with you?” He was automatically suspicious. “What’s the catch? Am I being set up here?”

“No catch and no, you’re not being set up. I
really, really
want to dance. It’s all I dream about these days … and I know what
boys
dream about too. I thought it might be a fair exchange.”

“If I agree, you come here when I say so. If my parents ever find out I’ll kill you.” David squeezed my breast hard, until my eyes were smarting and tears slid slowly down my face. “Do you understand?”

“Yes,” I whispered, nodding my head, “but I might not be able to come when you want me to if your parents are still awake, or if they suspect something. I’ll try my best though.”

I couldn’t very well say I might not be able to come if they had me
otherwise
occupied. That your parents, being sexual deviants, might have other plans for me.

“Fine, but if you miss too many dates the deal’s off.” I nodded my head solemnly. “I guess I’ll see you about midnight then. First lesson’s tonight. Don’t keep me waiting.”

He pushed me roughly out the door and slammed it behind me. I rushed back to my room as quickly and quietly as possible to select a couple of movies that I could play for David to learn the steps. I was going to try my damnedest to make sure we danced first and
then
did whatever he wanted. Maybe, just maybe, he’d be too tired afterwards to do anything. There was no way I wanted to fall into the trap of him getting what he wanted first and me never getting what I wanted. I had to have control over
some
part of my life, however small and insignificant it was …

I was still dancing. It became natural. The fluid movements, the grace, and I was unaware Danny was talking to me.

“Sorry, what did you say?” I asked.

He smiled. “I said
you’re miles away
and you were, weren’t you?”

“Yes. I was thinking about my first dance partner, but you’re much better than him, not
only
at dancing.”

“Ha!” Danny said, not fooled by my flattery for a minute. “This is the
only
dance I do well, though I have an excellent teacher and eternity to learn. The other stuff,” he shrugged his shoulders, “well, I’ll have to take you at your word that I’m better at it.”

I laughed. “You
know
I wouldn’t come back for more if it were
that
bad.”

“I know,” he said, nibbling my ear.

3.
Sharing a Bond

I’d wanted to spar with Danny on more than one occasion during the past week. Each time he refused, citing that I didn’t need any practice, at least not against him. It would have been nice to see if I could come close to whooping his arse. A few times I thought maybe he was worried I would, and that’s why he wouldn’t fight me, even playfully.

I was itching to get into some sort of a fight and was beginning to go stir crazy, yet I was still frightened, to some degree, about what the outside world held for us. Danny told me the cabin fever would pass, and that after some years — decades or centuries — I wouldn’t notice it at all. If I had to put up with it for that long I’d really be a total nutter, worse than I was now.

On day eight, with the sun shining down, I had to get away from the cottage. Danny was delighted that at last my pig-headed fear had given way to reason — no one would be expecting us to be alive. Therefore we were relatively safe.

I retrieved my knife and good luck charm from the bedroom. I’d decided to nickname the knife
Death,
as that seemed as befitting a name as any for a weapon wielded by me,
she who kills
. The good luck charm was a feather that Danny had given me, when he’d let me see what he would have looked like with wings. I’d always thought all angels had wings, but it turns out that only archangels do.

Danny helped me strap on the knife. I could manage the feather easily by myself.

“Where do you suggest we go?” I asked.

“Nowhere near the corridor, fall, temple or underground tunnels,” Danny cautioned, counting off on his fingers the areas that were out of bounds. “Anywhere that you didn’t frequent on a regular basis should be fine. I can always pick up a trail for you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Well if I’m going to take
us
there, I need to know exactly where
there
is.”

Danny produced a map and pointed south, to an area along the edges of what used to be the border of the territory he’d patrolled for aeons.

“We start there and work our way north.”

“Okay,” I said, offering him my hand, “grab hold.”

As soon as Danny slipped his hand in mine I transported us to his chosen destination. We landed in a very small clearing, big enough for about eight adults.

“It’s a bit of a squeeze,” I said. “What would’ve happened if I missed?”

He chuckled. “We would’ve ended up inside a tree.”

That sounded like a bad thing to me, ending up inside a tree — landing in anything really — so why was he laughing about it. I folded my arms across my chest.

“And that’s funny because?”

He grinned. “I would have liked to have seen the expression on your face when you either broke through the tree in a flap, or transported us slightly to the left or right.”

I was somewhat miffed. Considering I hadn’t been doing this since the dawn of time like
some
people, and I’d never been given proper lessons, I thought I was doing okay.

“I don’t find that humorous at all,” I replied through gritted teeth.

I turned to walk away. Danny grabbed my arm to stop me.

“I’m sorry,” he said, continuing to laugh softly. “I shouldn’t
tease.
That’s
your
domain. There’s a trail — a single vampire — heading north-west. You were going in the wrong direction.”

I pressed my lips tightly together to prevent my mouth from running away with me and giving him what for, though my eyes betrayed I was furious with him. Danny was smart enough to realise that he shouldn’t push it and took off at moderate pace. I ran after him. I’d found running was a great way to improve my mood and burn off anger and frustration.

Within an hour we’d caught up with the solo vamp, just as he was about to disappear down the entrance to a tunnel. I transported the three of us to the ranch — an abandoned copper mine that the vamps steered clear of because of a stench only they could smell. I drained the vamp dry in the lights, on the journey there — the lights were part of the in-between place when we travelled from one location to another.

“You really need to add all the entrances to the underground tunnels we’ve found so far to your map of the region,” I said. “We could then get a good idea of exactly how large the vamps underground network is. If ever we need to smoke them out we have to know how many entrances to target.”

“It’s done,” Danny said. “When we get back to the cottage you can take a look. The map will be waiting for you.”

“I love it when you get things done straight away,” I cooed happily. “Most men procrastinate when a woman asks them to do something.”

“We need to dispose of the body. Did you want to venture into the mine for a look?” Danny asked. I nodded my head. “Shall I carry it or will you?”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll take care of it,” I said.

I slung the body over my shoulder. It’s amazing how much lighter a bloodless body is. Even if I hadn’t drained it dry I would’ve easily managed. It was one of the advantages of the new and improved Helena. Besides, Danny didn’t really like the smell of vampires. While this body carried the same sickly-sweet base note distinct to all vampires, it didn’t bother me in the slightest.

Danny led the way. We walked for a good two hours before we found a large, natural, underground cavern, near the bottom of the main shaft, partially filled with water. It looked like the shaft continued under water. Unless I wanted to go diving I wouldn’t know exactly how far down it went. What had probably happened is that they’d hit an underground water table and as a result the shaft was declared a dead end. Being the only shaft at the time, the water would have been the reason the mine was abandoned. Maybe they didn’t have enough funding to sink another shaft, or create an offshoot from the main shaft. Not that it mattered now. What did matter was that this was an ideal dumping ground for bodies — loads of them! I could easily dispose of them here. When a bit of housekeeping was necessary, a small fire, or some sulphur injections for the vamps and it’d be roomy once again. That was another plus. As the cavern was quite large I shouldn’t accidentally find myself enclosed within a prison of rock. I didn’t know how I’d react if I found myself trapped, even temporarily, in something solid. The worst that could happen here is I’d get my feet wet. I could live with that.

“When we get back to the cottage I’d like a backpack full of lighter fluid, waterproof matches and sulphur syringes, please. I may as well store some supplies here.”

Danny bowed with a flourish. “Your wish …”

I laughed and gave his arm a whack. “Stop it or I’ll start to develop a power complex. Then I
will
be a nightmare to live with.”

We returned to the small clearing we’d started out from, courtesy of me. I didn’t bother recreating the lights if it was only the two of us. Danny found the brief flash that was inherent in my form of travelling — I didn’t have to move in order to travel — refreshing.

My lights paled in comparison to the brilliance of a heavenly angel’s lights. There were some differences between the earth-bound variety of angel — me, common as muck, as usual — and the heavenly variety — Danny, brilliant and dazzling in every way.