Divinity: The Gathering: Book One (62 page)

I could hear her swallow hard, her heart beat i
ncreasing as her face flushed red again.

She giggled, “So, is wanting me why you came here? Why you’ve been watching me?”

“No, it isn’t the only reason,” I told her truthfully.

She sighed and sat back in her seat again
, and in the brief silence, I started up the car again and merged back onto the highway.

“So you’ve known about these demons being a
fter me if that’s why you came. Do you know why they’re after me, and why they keep trying to take me into some portal? Where does the portal go? Hell?” She then asked.

I wanted to answer that, I saw no harm in it
, but I knew her questions would not stop there and I couldn’t tell her all she wanted to know.

“What have your dreams told you?” I asked her.

“I’ve had a lot of dreams.” She said.

“Your most recent ones.” I clarified.

“Are you saying that what I’ve been dreaming about is really going to happen?” She seemed genuinely afraid this time.

“There’s something to it, you’ve been dreaming about it all your life.” I told her even though I a
lready knew why. She was dreaming it because she was a chosen, and it was going to happen.

An alarmed and frightened expre
ssion suddenly masked her face for a moment, and then she looked at me with wide eyes, “Do you know when the end of the world will happen? You’ve been an angel, you were there in the beginning…you’ve — you’ve seen and you know so much,” She breathed with awe.

“No one knows, only Elohim knows when,” I told
her and that was the complete truth.

She licked her lips, her heart beat quickening.

“Why do you seem afraid of it?” I then asked her.

She blew out a breath of incredulity, “Because it was…horrific and scary. If what I see in my dreams does happen
, then I don’t want to be there.”

“You think you won’t make it?”

“Make it to survive what? A devastated earth with millions of dead bodies lying around me, and becoming some pet or prisoner to dark evil angels who are using me to breed with?” She then said.

She then regarded me apologetically, “Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way.” She whispered assu
ming I’d taken offense.

I chuckled, “Negative much? Apology not nece
ssary.” I replied.

She laughed a little at my comment, “I don’t know. This last dream, I saw a baby being taken away by some dark thing…” She swallowed as if recounting the dream sickened her
, and was difficult for her even think about let alone talk about out loud.

“There was this dark angel in particular who was looking for me and he called me by my full name. He was making fun of me for trying to save the baby
, and then ….he said don’t worry, you’ll make plenty more with us.” She then breathed and bit her lip, looking over at me for my reaction.

I glanced at her, my own brows going up in alarm as well
, because she had no idea just how accurate the events of her dreams were. Elohim was showing her those things for her own protection, for her own awareness, which means he already knows about this Toraen. But Elohim allows people to form and shape their own destinies given the information and visions, so it would ultimately be left up to Star without any of our or the angels’ interference.

It was obvious that whoever this traitor was…it was the one in her dream who had been looking for her. Morning Star would be another obstacle and issue
, but I could see him coming way before some unknown legion.

My jaw worked, I was angry at the thought and possibility, wanting to tear apart whoever this was myself
, and it made me all the more adamant to find out who it was. Who was this traitor?

“What did this dark angel look like? Do you r
emember?” I asked her.

She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair to push back the curls that had fallen forward.

“It was just ugly, scary ugly, and it was rancid smelling…that I do remember vividly.” She then said. It seemed as if she was leaving a few things out, and I don’t know if it was on purpose, but I wasn’t going to ask her about it.

I nodded in acknowledgment. That was a true dark fallen she described, the ones that lived around Morning Star and his domain.

“Pay attention to those dreams no matter how scary. Dreams and visions are like roadmaps and hints, there’s a reason you’re having them over and over.” I then told her, which was generic but on point.

She exhaled a slightly trembling breath with a nod.

I figured she’d feel better now hearing this, knowing what I was now, and what I had been before I was a demon as being true, I hoped.

“Where are we going now?” She asked.

“My place, I’d like to finish dinner.” I told her.

She raised a brow and smiled.

              I had decided against taking her back to the concert…something told me that I would find out who this traitor was there, and I didn’t need to worry about her being with me. Screw Drakael…I would accept punishment and make amends with Elohim

somehow
, if he allowed me to.

XX: Starling:

T
hough I was still trying to wrap my brain around everything, which included finally realizing what Cam and Drake were…I still could not get over the fact that he called me a slob.

I know I wasn’t neat and tidy
, or even a clean freak, but I know I was not a slob.

It all felt so unreal, in fact in actuality
, I felt like I was in a dream now. I wished I were, but if I had been…then I wouldn’t feel the way I felt about Cam — if that was his real name.

I wanted to ask a million things
, but with his vagueness and silence about most of the things I asked already, I figured he was probably not allowed to tell me for a reason, and I would respect that.

             
I felt relief in that it explained so much, but annoyed because I wanted to know if I was in danger, and when and how would I die? If my dreams were showing me all of these things, I don’t know if I could handle seeing that, and I shuddered at the thought.

             
We arrived at an abandoned, dilapidated two-story farmhouse, and he pulled around back to park. I began to have second thoughts on the truthfulness of what he had been telling me.

A place like this reminded me of where killers would take their victims to do sick and sadistic things to before murdering them in the movies. Afte
r all, I was with a demon, no — correction, a fallen. One who had more sense of honor, romance, humanity and consideration than most humans did for each other.  I admired him, because even knowing that none of those things would ever change who or what he was, he did them anyway.

             
I think he noticed the way I eyed the run-down farmhouse, being out in the middle of nowhere when he retrieved the food from the back, and then opened my car door for me.

“It’s for visual sake. I don’t want anyone to know anyone is here from the road,” He explained
after reading my expression before I could even ask or comment.

“Oh
, I see,” I nodded, still a bit of apprehension.

He led the way
, and I was pleasantly surprised once we entered the backdoor, which led into the kitchen. It was then that I understood exactly why he felt the need to criticize my cleaning skills, and why my little mess had bothered him in the first place. Every appliance gleamed and sparkled, the counters and cabinets all looked brand new, and you could literally eat off the floors — without a plate. Wow.

He set the food on the kitchen island and began to unload it as I walked through the arc
hway into the living room, with my mouth open in awe.

“I’d give you a tour but there isn’t much else, just a bunch of empty rooms upstairs
, unless you’d like to stay the night.” He offered with a smirk.

I stopped and smiled over my shoulder with dev
iance at him and his suggestion, and then turned to fully face him,

“You just said the rooms were empty.” I pointed out.

“That can be changed easily,” He replied with a grin.

“Black magic?” I asked.

“Magic is magic, it’s only black if you use if for self-gain and sinister purposes.” He clarified.

             
I stared at him in awe for a moment; marveling at the fact that he used to be an Angel. Here before the dawn of mankind, residing with God…the things he’s seen, he’s known, that he does know — he knows what God looks like, what and where he is! All the secrets of the universe like — are we the only ones out here? I had so many questions, and I could spend countless days and hours asking them though I was sure he’d probably stick a permanent muzzle on me after a while.

“You’ve got stars in your eyes. Why are you looking at me like that?” He then smiled.

I shrugged a shoulder, “I’m just amazed.” I smiled.

“At what?” he seemed bothered by my admiration of him.

“With you.” I said.

“Are you sure amazed is the right word?” he joked.

“It’s the perfect word.”

He sighed, exhaling through his nose in thought as he looked at me with what looked like his own amazement of me
, and there was a twinkle in his beautiful eyes, “Don’t let me fool you.” He then winked.

“Oh don’t wo
rry, you don’t fool me at all.” I replied with a smirk as I giggled, and continued on with my self-tour.

Demon, fallen or not…I still couldn’t get being with him sexually out of my head
, despite everything else and knowing it was taboo. I mean, we already made out anyway as it was. Now I knew why simply kissing him had felt like he was making love to my entire body, every sensitive area had come alive in response to the way he worked his mouth and tongue. I shivered just thinking about it.

The entire wide open farmhouse was spo
tless, fresh smelling, clean and orderly. It looked like a brand new showcase home, complete with glossy wooden floors inside, nowhere near representative of what the outside conveyed. The walls were bright cream and spotless, all the way down to the wooden beams above and the moldings along the floors. It was open, decorated with just a nice, expensive looking couch, armchair and coffee table sitting in front of a clean hearth and fireplace, and a cherry wood, fancy dining set, complete with about eight chairs.

             
Music cued up from some unknown source, soft R. Kelly old school, and I instantly smiled to myself. My entire perception of fallen changed with Cam. I know it was easy to be fooled by a dark one, because that was what they did best, but for some reason I couldn’t explain, I both believed and trusted Cam, and for that I may go to hell.

I heard him pop a bottle of wine or cha
mpagne, and I was curious as to where that had come from, but then again — where had the music come from? He was full of surprises and I hoped that was a good thing.

The doorbell rang, which scared the hell out of me. Cam was in the living room in a flash, with dark anger masking his face…making him look even more dangerous to me being he was a dark fallen. We both knew there was no reason for anyone to approach the farmhouse, let alone ring a doorbell that shouldn’t even be working, and I could tell he already knew it wasn’t any…human visitor.

“Go upstairs into the first room on the right and lock the door, do not come out for any reason. I’m sealing you in
, and only I can enter got it?” He told me.

My eyes wi
dened and my legs wouldn’t move. I was scared now.

“Go!” he urged.

              With that, the door flew open swiftly, nearly ripping from its rusted hinges, and Cam was a blur, standing guard in front of me protectively.

Though I was shaking
, I peered around him to see who or what it was.

“Hi, I’d like to talk to you about Jehovah
, and get your views on the end of the world as it is coming…soon.” He said with a devilish smirk.

There was a sharp dressed
— extremely gorgeous, regal-looking young guy about my age at the door; wearing a bright white smile, and an expensive dark gray three piece suit, complete with briefcase in one hand, and holding up a Watchtower magazine in other. He too, was also tanned, and was as tall as and muscularly built like Cam, but with light caramel, wavy brown colored hair that had been brushed back neatly, cleanly.