Divinity: The Gathering: Book One (33 page)

“Ah, well I guess you’re the first to tell me that then,” I replied just as the waiter brought my w
ater and slice of strawberry pie.

“Really? Most girls like the bad boy, mysterious tall, dark stranger type. You mean your girlfriend or wife has never mentio
ned it?” She asked in a flirtatious, expectant way, given the way she looked at me.

I smiled, “Maybe she
would have if I had one of either of those.” I replied.

She raised a brow as if she didn’t believe me.

“What about you?” I then smirked.

“What about me
?” She played naïve. She was definitely flirting now and I really liked that.

“Do you like mysterious bad boy types?” I then asked.

She smiled shyly and looked away for a moment, nearly turning lobster red.

“I’d be l
ying if I said no.” She answered.

             
I gave her my famous flirty smirk and half smile, and I heard her heartbeat speed up in response.

“So is your bo
yfriend also a bad boy?” I asked on purpose to verify if she and that guy Joel were possibly more than friends.

She shook her head with a grin.

“No boyfriend.” She said taking a sip of her coffee.

“I don’t believe that.” I replied.

“I don’t really have the time for one. I mean, when I see my other friends and the issues they have with their guys, it all seems so unnecessary and exhausting. I’d much rather just stay friends.” She went on to explain.

I nodded and then smiled, “ I don’t know, it sounds more exhausting to keep turning down guy after guy and having to come up with a ne
w excuse every time.” I replied.

She giggled and smiled big this time.

I loved her smile, how her eyes sparkled so vividly blue with so much light, that it literally drew you in. Once she was changed over, she’d be able to best me easily, because she was definitely going to be my biggest weakness.

“No need for new excuses.” She shrugged.

“I sincerely don’t believe that at all.” I told her.

“That’s the truth. Anyway, you look like you’re either off duty or undercover.” She then co
mmented to cleverly dodge and change the subject.

“Off duty,” I confirmed.

“Cool, so what kinds of things do you do in your spare time?” She then asked.

I pursed my lips and shook my head with a shrug.

“Errands and I like to read.”

“You read?” She seemed surprised.

I laughed a bit, “Why does that sound incredulous?” I smirked.

She smiled,
“It’s not incredulous. It’s just that most guys that I know don’t really read much, at least not for leisure. But for me personally, I find a guy who reads, and can cook…extremely sexy.” She specified.

I inhaled.
Her body heat and scent was becoming intoxicating, desire was rising from of her skin in waves that kept washing over me, making it insatiably hard to quell my lust for her. Her innocent facial expression hid her desire well though. She was a tough one.

“I’ll keep those things
in mind.” I smiled again.

“I heard from a birdie
, that you’re working the campus too. I thought the University specifically had campus police for that. Aren’t you metropolitan?” She then asked.

“I… had a choice, it’s part-time.” I lied hoping she wouldn’t check on that.

“Recent? Because, I’ve never seen you around campus before.” She then added.

“Very.” I told her.

“Oh.” She simply said as she picked at her pie again, and then looked at me.

I hadn’t tou
ched my pie yet, and it was silent for a moment.

“I see you really like strawberry pie. I was cra
ving it since I saw you order some last night.” She commented.

I laughed a little, “How was theirs?” I asked with a nod to her plate.

“It’s good. Not as good as your friend Ray’s though. He’s a really nice guy and a great cook.” She smiled.

I didn’t bother to mention that that pie had been store bought, it didn’t matter.

“He’ll be thrilled to know you said that,” I confirmed making sure to pass that information onto Rahab. He thrived on compliments, especially from women.

It was then that her face went serious for a moment as if she were contemplating something while gazing at her half eaten pie.

I wanted to ask her what was wrong, but I remained silent. Her heart beat was speeding up again, but it wasn’t just desire anymore. She was nervous.

She hesitated, licking her full lips as she sucked in a soft breath
, and glanced back up at me.

“Last night…you said you had an open mind about things
, and that nothing would surprise or shock you, right?” She began.

She was opening up to me so I gave her my und
ivided attention, but with my own slight nervous apprehension.

“Right,” I nodded
, leaning forward on folded arms with my elbows on the table.

She paused agai
n, folding her napkin into an origami shape that turned out to be a sailboat.

She sighed before pushing her plate aside
, and leaning forward on her own elbows too.

“This will pr
obably sound crazy I know, but —I didn’t run into a door.” She began while staring down at the table.

“I know.” I said.

Her eyes flicked back up to mine in surprise, and when she saw that I had meant what I said, she seemed more relaxed and inclined to go on.

“No one hit me either,” She then said
, awaiting my next reaction.

I nodded for her to go on.

“It’s a little hard to explain in a way that even sounds believable.” She said as her brows furrowed.

“Well, let me be the judge first.” I urged her on.

She paused to gather her thoughts I presumed.

“Do you believe in…demons?” She finally asked.

I don’t know why I flinched on the inside at the mention of that term coming from her lips, but I did.

“Yes.” I told her flatly.

Her eyes lit up and she seemed relieved.

“Really? Like the dark, evil shadow people that create and cause negative bad things to happen and stuff too?” She then went on.

I bit my lip and abruptly spoke, “I know what you’re talking about.” I replied, not meaning to sound brash or rude.

I felt that she would slowly begin to actually start seeing me for what I was the more she kept g
oing.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well, I’ve seen them for most of my life and recently…I’ve been having a lot of prophetic dreams that I think are connected with these demons for some reason. I think they’re either trying to hurt or kill me.” She then said in a low tone.

I studied her mouth,
and the completely healed bruising where her injury had been for a moment.

“You’re saying that a demon hit you?” I asked her just to have her admit to it finally.

She sighed, “I know it sounds…”

“No, it doesn’t sound crazy. I believe you.” I stopped her.

She looked at me in surprise.

“Tell me about them, your dreams.” I then asked
her.

She licked her delicious lips as if hesitant again
, and I hoped that I hadn’t pushed too aggressively too soon, or sounded like an overbearing psychologist or something.

             
She thought for a moment, “Well, they’re all pretty hardcore and vivid. They’re repetitive, like following the same theme each time, which is the end of the world, and there’s so much chaos, death and destruction going on —it all seems so real. I keep seeing a lot of angels, dark angels that look evil, and they’re looking for, or hunting me in particular. They call me by my full name too, which scares me because it means they know me. They know who I am as a person, and that terrifies me, because I don’t understand or know why they want me. And though they’re either trying to hurt, kill, or make me go crazy —I think they’re afraid of me too. Does any of this make sense?” She asked. I could tell she didn’t want to risk me thinking she was insane, and I didn’t in the least.

In fact, I was livid.

              Her eyes became glassy, and she blinked as if she were trying to stave off tears of relief, but then seeming embarrassed for having admitted it all to me or something.

“Why do you think they want to kill you?” I asked her.

She shook her head, “My professors office was the first incident, and then last night of course. You saw what they did to me. I don’t know anymore. I mean, I wasn’t afraid of them at first but now…I don’t know how to defend myself, and I’m paranoid. I don’t know if who I see is actually who they are anymore. Seeing what they can do, I’m afraid that they may try to get to me through my friends or something next.” She shook her head and shivered as if she were thinking about that possibility right now. I waited for her to go on, seeing as she seemed to be in deep thought.

Her eyes met mine again, “The demon that hit me, it took the shape of a person, another
nurse there, which is what confused me, and I knew that was the intent. It was the most petrifying thing I’ve ever encountered in my entire life. I just reacted out of panicked reflex and struck first when it grabbed me, and that’s when it hit me back, really hard.” She then went on to explain. Her brow furrowed as if she were still trying to convince herself that it really did happen.

             
Hearing her version of the story ignited a rage in me all over again, over Morning Star and his idiot assed voids, but I reeled it in and allowed a momentary pause between us, because I didn’t want her to think that I found her insane. I didn’t by any means. I know she was telling me exactly what happened.

I simply nodded, giving her my undivided atte
ntion, and letting her know that I was taking in and sincerely and believing what she was telling me.

“Instincts,” I told her finally
, after another moment of pause.

“What?”

“Your instincts are apparently on a whole other advanced level than that of many others. Always use and trust your instincts,” I confirmed, wondering if she could see me yet.

She nodded in awe.

“You’ll know the differences if you truly know your friends, and they can’t hurt you unless you allow them to.” I then added.

She nodded again
, but still seemed apprehensive.

“Allow? I don’t think I have any power to stop them. That demon was way too strong,” She breathed and said softly.

“You’re stronger. Past the obvious fight you must have put up, and judging by your injuries, you’re no match for them. Call it intuition. I can tell.” I affirmed with a serious expression so she’d know I was serious, and meant it.

She wasn’t sure what to make of my compliment outright
, as she flashed a brief half smile and licked her lips.

She pushed a curl away from her face and tucked it firmly behind her delicate ear, decorated with a small gold hoop.

The shiny metal accentuated the soft, perfect, tanned complexion of her skin, her jawline and the lightness of her hair color. I followed the gentle curve of her jaw and small chin, down to the gold chain and locket hanging from her neck. A small mole rested where her collarbones met in the small hollow of her throat just above the locket, and I could see her pulse beating beneath her smooth skin. I sucked in a breath to force down the slowly mounting desire pulsing throughout my own body, as I envisioned kissing and nibbling her sweet flesh, and then moving up to her perfect, naturally red pout…to taste her.

She didn’t need lipstick or any kind of make-up at all given her natural
beauty and even toned skin. I wondered why she had all of the make-up she had on her dresser at all.

She chuckled more to herself just then.

“I hope so. God, okay — now here’s the part where you handcuff me and put the strait jacket on now that I’ve told you all of this.” She said as she sat back against the leather padding backrest of the bench.

“
Why would I do that?” I replied.

She shrugged a shoulder and sighed with a quick glance around the restaurant.

“Does it ever bother you? Women staring at you like this all the time? Some of them aren’t even being discreet about it.” She commented, and made a face to show annoyance at the group of young women a few tables over.

I turned to follow her gaze
with a shrug and a smirk, more at her than them, and they all smiled brightly back at me.

“I don’t even pay attention,” I turned my attention back to her and said.

It was something that I had been used to for a very long time, and it no longer flattered me.

She seemed both surprised and admiring of my indifference about it.