KeystoHeavenAll (3 page)

“Okay spill it, because we’re not doing anything else until I’m caught up.

Sighing her mother sank down onto the black leather couch. “We watch the world go by up there and sometimes we get a little too attached, so we lend out protection, appoint ourselves their guardian angel.”

“I thought everyone has one of those.” Confused, she frowned.

“Technically yes, but this is on a more personal level.”

Her mother’s amused smirk made her scowl. “Sounds creepy.”

“Perhaps. Our minds are not the same as a human’s. What you’d view as an invasion of privacy we might see as observation.” She shrugged.

“Okay, so he’s my angel stalker?”

Her mother laughed. “I wouldn’t say it that way.”

“Mmm hmm.” Heavenleigh pursed her lips and her mother rolled her eyes.

“What he’s done, binding his essence to yours is a huge honor, but it worries me. Because it means there’s a threat out there bigger than we can handle on our own.”

Oh great, just what she needed, more drama and danger. Sixty years off the grid, one favor,
and her life was going downhill in a hand basket.

“Did he have to fall to do that?”

“No.” she shook her head. “I can’t say why he did that.”

“Okay. So this bond, what does it affect?” The word bond made her think of metaphysical handcuffs.
She didn’t like that.

“Are you worried about free will?” Her mother arched a sculpted eyebrow, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Yes.”

“No, those are your own. Think of it as a direct link. You can share thoughts, powers, know if one another are in danger.”

“Wow.” Her mouth formed an o.

“Now you begin to understand.”

Stunned by his sacrifice she felt a case of warm and fuzzies creep up. This incredible being thought so much he linked his life with hers.

“Now, can I meet him?”

“Sure.” She nodded still reeling from all the information laid on her. “Follow me.” A quick trip down the hallway and she paused then knocked. Heavenleigh pushed the wooden barrier in a few inches and peered inside. Angel Man remained unconscious. Opening the door fully she stepped inside and watched her mother as she entered. A gasp left her lips.

“Mom, what’s wrong.”

“This is not an ordinary angel.”

“You know him?”

Her mother stepped closer, stopped at the end of her bed and sniffed. “No, I can’t place his identity, but I do know he’s an Archangel. One who’s fought beside Michael… that’s all I can tell. I’d call in a favor, but I think its best we keep him and his location to ourselves. I’ll take over your shift for you. We don’t want him waking up and wandering off.”

“How long did it take you to remember?”

“I was different… I had someone very powerful waiting to restore the jumbled mess my brain had become.” Heavenleigh’s eyes widened. It was more than she’d ever heard her mom say about her father.

“He was powerful?”

“I’m sure everyone in hell knows his name.” Her tone was wry and flat.

Her jaw dropped. “Damn Mom when you rebelled you went hard.”

“Apparently.” She smirked, shaking her head. “I wasn’t young, but I was naïve. Being in Heaven is the ultimate in overprotection.”

She chuckled. “Yeah, I bet! What was he like?”

“Charming, sexy, dangerous, while it was good it was ... nuclear.” A school girl sigh escaped her lips.

Fascinated by the dreamy expression on her mother’s face she dug deeper. “What did he look like?”
Was her mom seriously getting nostalgic about Senior asshole who’d abandoned
them?

“Stunning, and I do mean take-your-breath-away-gorgeous. It was his beauty that swayed me, made me believe he was misunderstood, and repentant.” She snorted. “As you can see I was wrong.”

“Do I have any of his features?” Her muscles tensed.

“Do you really want to know?” Her mother glanced at her, brown meet brown head on.

“Yes.”

She took a shaky breathy. “Y-You have my eyes, my chin, and a hint of my coloring, but the rest is him made female.”

Devastation rocked her. She clutched her chest, embarrassed. “How could you bare to look at me all this time?”

“Heaveleigh, you’re the only good thing that man ever gave me. I’ve avoided talking about him because I knew the next question would be his name, and I dare not speak it. He’s a powerful man. I live every day in fear he’ll discover what I’ve done.” Her mother wrapped an arm around her, pulled her close and kissed her forehead.

“He doesn’t know about me?”

She shook her head. “No, and for that I’m grateful.” Her mother stroked her hair absently.

“Am I why you left?”

“Among other things.” Her face shuttered.
Q &A was over.
“I’m going to get out of here so I can have the bar open and start inventory. If anything happens, contact me immediately.” She tapped her head to indicate the familial mental link they could communicate on.

“I will.” She walked her mother to the door and locked it behind her then wove a few more wards. Strengthened by her newly gained power boost, the recent addition to the wards made the previous ones look likes child’s play.

When he surfaced from sleep and turned his head to the right, she was there. Heavenleigh.

Warmth spread through his chest.

“Well hello there Sunshine.” She held up two fingers. “Can you tell how many fingers I’m holding up?”

“Two.”

“Welcome back to the world of the living.” She lowered her hand.

“Thank you.” He sat up in bed, and groaned. His body was still stiff and his head ached.

“Do you remember last night?”

Frowning he searched his memory. “I remember waking up here with you.”

“Nothing about how you got here?” She leaned into the bed.

“I remember falling…” His stomach did a dive bomb. The sensation of free falling rushed in. He’d fallen for what felt like forever before he collided with something… the earth? No. A person wouldn’t survive a drop from that distance. A silent alarm tripped. There was something very different about him. “I’m not a normal man.” He shook his head, apprehension raised the hair on his nape and his arms.

“No, you aren’t.” She shook her head.

“You know?” He furrowed his brown.

“A bit, but I don’t think it’s wise for me to dabble with your memory. It’ll come back when it’s ready.”

“I sense going to a hospital would be a bad idea?” Inclining his head to the side he gathered information in the tiny bubbles of memory that remained among the darkness.

“If you want to stay free and alive I’d say yeah.” She nodded an amused expression on her face.

Her sarcasm made him smile until paranoia crept in. “How do I know I can trust you?”

“Right now I’m all you got, but to be fair, you did come here looking for little old me.”

Placing a hand on her chest she spoke in a slow drawl and batted her eyelashes. He sensed it was a joke, but he didn’t understand it. Not wanting to look more ignorant he kept his questions to himself.

“That’s true.” He nodded.
She was the one thing he remembered.
Memories of her from birth up flooded his mind. “I have pictures of you inside my head from the moment you were born. How is it we haven’t met?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Hmm.” He grunted.

“Why don’t you take a break from thinking, hop in the shower, and let me make you breakfast?”

He peered down at his tattered… robe?

“I got you covered. I went shopping why you were out. It’s just sweats and a t-shirt but it’ll be better then you’re um… garment? The bathroom is through the door on your right. I’ll leave your clothes on the bed and you can come into the kitchen whenever you’re ready.”

Climbing out of bed he stood. “Thank you for your kindness.”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll find a way to pay me back.” Her gaze raked over him, hungry and full of lust.

An echoing need sprung in his chest, and his dick went rock hard. Swallowing to moisten his dry throat he nodded. “I look forward to it.” Embarrassed by his brazenness he shuffled into the bathroom and shut the door behind him.
Clearly he was not a man who slept around.

One hot shower later he approached the table, drinking in her short denim mini skirt, and form fitting t-shirt that said fifty percent angel, fifty percent devil with horns and a halo hooked on the percent signs. Not wanting to scare her he cleared his throat.

“Hey Angel Man pull up a seat. Brunch is almost ready, nothing fancy, just some French toast, and scrambled eggs.”

His belly let out a loud rumble. “It smells delicious.”

“Thank you.” Moving over to the table she sat the plates of hot food in the center.

“So I’ve been thinking. We need a temporary name for you, until you remember you own.”

She sank down in the seat across from him and focused her attention on him.

“Oh… what should it be?” Excited to hear her answer he bent in. Finally, a moment of enjoyment in the tangled web of mystery, pain, and uncertainty, a name he could handle.

“That’s up to you Angel Man. I personally like my moniker, but I think I’d want to claw someone’s eyes out if I heard it slip past their lips. Of course, I don’t really have rights to you.”

“Funny, it feels like you do.” Her possessiveness pleased him

Grinning she took the seat across from him. “You say all the right things. Go ahead, dig in.”

The first bite of French toast was heavenly. Closing his eyes he moaned as the powdered sugar and syrup melded together and detonated on his taste buds. “This is amazing. I feel like I haven’t eaten in a million years.”

Her lips twitched upward. “Thank you.”

When the meal was finished, he stood and followed her to the sink to help her load the dishwasher.

“You’re really making me want to keep you.” She sighed.

“You think you can’t?”

For the first time he saw past her carefree façade. Her eyes darkened and she shook her head. “I don’t see long term in the cards for someone like me.”

“Like you?” He shook his head.
What does that mean?

“Let’s just say I’m the kind of different most people can’t handle.” She rinsed of her plate, back ramrod straight as she avoided looking at him.

“What if I want to try?” The words stunned them both.
Where did that come from?

“You can’t even remember your name Angel Man.” Sorrow tinged her voice, and she shook her head.

“And yet I remember you.” Acting on instinct he pressed her into the sink, placing both arms on either side of her body. He bent down buried his nose into her silky, soft, hair and inhaled. She smelled like floral musk. “I know I’ve spent days wondering how you’d smell, and if you hair would be as soft as feather down.” He nudged her hair away with his nose and nuzzled her neck. “How you’d taste.” Her breath caught. He ground his erection into her firm ass. “I’ve whiled away hours dreaming of being inside you, so much that now when I don’t even know anything about myself you remain the vibrant, sexy, center my world orbits around.”

“Jesus Angel man, you went from clueless to seducer in zero to sixty.”

“I get the feeling I’ve never done this before ,so I’m glad I’m doing it right.” His voice shook. Being here with her like this was his birthday and Christmas rolled into one. She leaned back, wound her arms around his neck and purred.

“How about I break you in nice and proper and we figure the rest out later.

Her voice was liquid sex. He couldn’t ignore it had he wanted to.

“I was trying so hard to be a good girl and let you go unscathed, but then you lay this secret admirer bit on me.” Her lips puckered into a pout.

“Every word is true.”

She turned her head to peer at him over her shoulder. Her eyes glowed amber mixed with red.

“I know you aren’t human and I’m fine with that… I get the feeling I’m not either.”

“Angel Man I’m going to take you for a ride you’ll never forget.”

His cock twitched. Lighting fast reflexes had her spun in his arms, her full breast pressed against his chest. “I wouldn’t have it either other way.” Breathless with anticipation he stood stock still.

“Don’t just stand there, lift me up.” Her whispered words tickled his ear. He gripped her thighs and lifted her up onto the counter beside the sink. Moving between the long legs she spread wide, he groaned. The heady scent of her arousal filled his nostrils, and her heat practically singed him. Her eyes burned the strange amber-red that gave him butterflies.

“I need to know if you’re as tempting as you smell.” He flicked his tongue out to caress the seam of her lips, she opened her mouth and he slipped inside. Surrounded by the taste of sweet syrup and Heavenleigh his head swam. Her nails dug into his back and their tongues battled. He gripped her hips squeezing tight as he used her as his anchor. His heart swelled, threatening to overflow with heady emotions he could barley wrap his healing brain around. More than an object of lust, or infatuation, this woman was a lifelong dream fulfilled.

She pried her lips from his. “Bed now!” Her husky command called him to attention like a general as she wrapped her legs around him. He lifted her from the counter. Their lips met again and he stumbled down the hall, collapsing on to the bed with her in his lap. “Oh!” She ground in to him rolling her hips into his lap, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood. Her tongue caressed the wound and he watched transfixed as she swallowed taking a part of him inside her, a prelude to the act to come. Her body shook. “You burn so good going down, like whiskey.” Tilting her head she offered up her neck. “Want a taste?”

A feral impulse rose, from a dark, and possessive place. Clamping down on her skin until he drew blood he lapped the wound. The thick liquid singed his tongue and his throat and he growled. When he pulled away the wound healed like magic. An image of black wings flashed in his mind.
Fairy?

She placed a hand on the center of his chest, pushed him down and bent down to graze his lips with hers. “How about I take the reins this time?”

Mute he nodded.

“First thing we need to do is get these clothes off you. I want to see the goods.” She winked and he laughed at her sassiness.