Sandy's Story (Ditch Lane Diaries Book 3) (22 page)

Baldric’s nerves were shot, and he needed fuel. He strode over to the bar laden with food and drink. He piled on a plateful of carbs and grabbed a glass of Lee’s sweet tea. He glanced out the window and noticed several of the AAF guards flying to the end of the driveway. Baldric left the plate on the bar, made a mad dash out the front door, and ported to the end of the road.

Surrounded by six well-trained AAF guards, Caiojezeal stood dressed in a dark brown habit tied at the waist with a leather belt. Caiojezeal’s hands were in the air when Baldric broke through the guardian circle.

“What are you doing here?” Baldric’s chest tightened, and he swallowed hard. “Is she dead?”

Caiojezeal asked, “May I put my hands down? We need to talk, alone.”

Baldric addressed the guards and tossed a glance over his shoulder at the warm golden light coming from the windows of the house. “Leave us.”

An AAF warrior guard, Troy, released a guttural growl and said, “This is one of the demon angels who tied me up at Sandy’s parents. Are you sure you want us to leave?”

“I fight my own battles, Troy. I’ll be along soon. Take the others and return to your post.” Baldric turned to Caiojezeal and said, “Speak the truth, demon. My patience is running thin, and I don’t need mind games.”

Caiojezeal leaned toward Baldric and whispered, “I come with information, but I need cover. Demon angels run the lines of the faze looking for a weak link to break the barrier into Everglade Farms. In another minute, they’ll know I’ve crossed enemy lines.”

Baldric grabbed Caiojezeal’s arm, and they ported into the red barn. The AAF military maps and coordinates had been moved into the big house, leaving only combat training equipment in the barn. Baldric shouted, “Tell me about my wife. Is she well?”

Caiojezeal pushed the hood off his head. “Luc took Sandy on a trip tonight. They left before dusk, traveling to his penthouse suite in Manhattan. I came as soon as I could get away. Luc knew you were in her room last night. Sandy lied to him, and he nearly flogged her, but I pleaded The Treatment of the Angel Prisoner Act in regards to pairing partners. I took the flogging in her place.”

Baldric reached for one of the training spears and forcefully threw it into the neck of a scarecrow. Shaking his head, Baldric ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “The son of a bitch. Damn the AAF rules of engagement. I should’ve tried to get Sandy out. I shouldn’t have left her there. She begged me to take her.” Breathing heavy and near to his breaking point, Baldric said, “I’m grateful for your sacrifice. But I’ve seen the look in your eyes. You love Sandy, don’t you? Tell me why you’re here, and speak true.”

Caiojezeal crossed his arms over his chest and stared straight into Baldric’s eyes. “And what’s not to love? Sandy is most infuriating, but she struck a tender chord within me I haven’t felt since I was cast out of heaven. Besides, Luc would’ve sent you to the Eternal Blackness. Luc kidnapped her to get you. Or, well, at least in the beginning that was his plan. He wanted retribution for you kicking his ass eons ago.”

Caiojezeal’s hand motions moved simultaneously with his words. “Luc’s plans have changed. He’s intrigued by Sandy’s feisty spirit. Previous ward captives, he took their power or turned them to fight for the dark side. Luc seeks not only her divine power and beauty but also the light of the Campbell Ridge wards which burns bright. Dark creatures are drawn to the light of love. His failed attempts to take Anna last summer have made him erratic in behavior. Failure isn’t an option with Sandy.”

Caiojezeal shifted his feet and clasped his hands behind his back. He looked to the ground and then back up to Baldric. “And I’m sick and tired of the war. In less than a hundred years, the earth as we know it will change. Luc has instigated civil unrest and rebellion across the globe. His goal is to incite another World War. One that will annihilate civilization as we know it. Luc uses human faith and religion. He uses wealth, poverty, greed, and the destruction of natural resources to pit not only nation against nation but brother against brother. He’s taken Sandy to New York to persuade her to join his army. I believe he intends on mating her.”

Baldric rubbed his fingers down his jawline, his face reddened, and he lowered his voice. “Luc only mates with purebred angels. To my knowledge, he’s never taken a human female.”

Caiojezeal let out an exhale of breath and said, “True. But Luc will bed her to avenge himself from the humiliation you brought upon him. I had told Sandy before she left with Luc tonight I would help her escape. I told her I would come and find you. I can’t get her out of the compound without help. I need the AAF and the AAF needs me.”

Baldric trembled with anger but held his sharp tongue in check. He said, “I need to know if you’re willing to renounce Lucifer and work as an operative for the AAF. I can’t promise The Creator will offer leniency, but if you help me get Sandy away from Luc, I’ll do everything in my power to initiate negotiations to place you in the AAF reconditioning program.”

Caiojezeal clasped Baldric’s forearm. “May love light the way.”

Chapter 14

True Colors

Luc stopped at a ranger’s station on Mount Mitchell’s lookout tower over the Appalachian Mountains. The snow-covered mountains at dusk were one of Luc’s favorite spots on earth. In the hills, away from most humans, the earth seemed peaceful. He held onto Sandy’s waist and inhaled the sweet smell of her shampoo. He hated humans. Why had he brought this person to one of his most sacred places? Luc glanced at Sandy out of his peripheral vision. She was awestruck by the majestic mountains. He held his tongue from making witty quips and took in the scenery.

Time in this graceful spot did not tick. No need to rush to and fro to tasks requiring his attention or the constant plotting and planning while attempting to stay one step ahead of The Creator and his warriors.

Luc held the human female in his arms and felt the warm blood pump through her veins. He pictured a different world. The world where he and The Creator were friends. The world where The Creator consulted him on the creation of the earth and its inhabitants. A world where this gorgeous female was neither human nor angel, but his mate. A partner for eternity. Never before had the thought even crept into his mind.

Fat snowflakes began to fall, and Luc waved his hand, so the snow fell on everything but them. He whispered, “I’ve never brought anyone here with me. I’m questioning the sanity of it.”

Sandy turned to him, and with a frown, she said, “Why did you bring me here?”

Luc shrugged and said, “I was taking you to New York, we were passing through the mountains, and I haven’t been here in a long time.” He chuckled. “Well, to be accurate, it’s been decades. Time for me doesn’t hold the same relevance as it does for humans. One day, one year, a thousand years makes no difference.”

Sandy asked, “Makes no difference for what?”

“For anything. No schedules, no clocks ticking, no time. Einstein was a ward and figured out time and space were woven into a single continuum with his theory of relativity. He hit the nail on the head, so to speak. Close your eyes for a moment and try to visualize no time, no space. No right, no wrong. How does it feel?” Luc traced his fingers along the soft skin of her arms. He was inclined to kiss the exposed part of her neck. Curious as to the taste of her. Baldric marking her—would it repel him or drive him to possess her?

Sandy followed his instructions without an argument. She played the game well, and he wondered what it would feel like to be inside this human. Sandy opened her eyes and swiveled around in his arms to face him. What was the look in her eyes? Curiosity? Or something else?

She replied, “I believe you’re describing heaven. As long as the earth rotates on its axis, time will tick for humans. I read H.G. Wells’
The Time Machine
. To be honest, I’ve always wondered if time travelers existed until I met real angels and demons. All the UFOs humans report seeing. They’re seeing angels or demon angels. The Chariot of Fire taking Elijah into heaven was angels. The burning light of The Creator, the light of love, has no time and space.”

She searched his eyes and said, “It amazes me how a person of faith scoffs when you tell them you’ve talked to angels. But they do. You ask anyone of faith if they believe in angels. They’ll reply, ‘Oh yes. I believe in angels.’ But tell the same person you see angels and carry on conversations with them, and, well, they’ll lock you up and throw away the key.”

Luc laughed so hard his shoulders shook. “You amaze me. Humans make me sick. But you make me laugh. I won’t lie or try to convince you to think I like humans, or that I consider humans as having redeeming qualities. I don’t. I never have. But once in a long while, I’ll meet an exceptional person who gives me pause to reflect. You’re one of those humans. The thing is, your life span is short in the big scheme of life. So, exceptional or not, humanity will not change until the end of an age and that day is coming sooner rather than later.”

Luc said, “I want to show you, New York, as night falls over the city. It’s quite spectacular.”

Luc and Sandy materialized to a high-rise building in Manhattan. Even though it was still considered winter, the opulent patio of his penthouse suite had an array of blooming flowers in exotic-looking planters. Full-grown trees grew out of the concrete floor with plants and vines intertwining up their trunks.

Luc encircled Sandy with his arms and leaned close to her cheek. “The sunset glistening on the Hudson River is one of the reasons I love New York. I love everything about New York with all the excess, glitz, and wealth. One of my top ten cities. Why should you live unceasingly unsatisfied? Do you want to live an average life in an average world when you can live with me in splendor?”

The wind from the river blew Sandy’s hair off her shoulders, and he inhaled her sweet, peach-ripened scent. She held onto the rail of the patio as he held onto her waist. With a tilt of her head, Sandy replied, “My life is beautiful. I’m deeply satisfied. Material things without love are empty. The convenience is nice, but it doesn’t warm my soul.”

Ignoring her comments, Luc rubbed his cheek next to hers and said, “Our view faces south toward lower Manhattan. I prefer to be close to the water while I’m here. I want you to see the city the way it was before the revolution.”

Luc snapped his fingers, and all of the modern buildings disappeared. The streets below reflected an eighteenth-century New York with dirt streets and horses and buggies. Wooden-hulled hundred-foot ships driven strictly by sails anchored in the harbor. The people below were oblivious to the time travelers. “See? Time travel does exist. I control earth and at my discretion may manipulate time. You are different, aren’t you? Most humans would’ve passed out or screamed in fear. But look at you. Daireann, the wonder in your face is quite refreshing indeed. I see why Baldric is interested in you.”

Sandy shrugged out of his arms and walked along the patio wall. He watched as she took a glimpse into the distant past of America. “I’ll say you have some cool tricks. I admit, I’m awestruck. However, I wouldn’t want to live here. It’s bad enough today the lack of respect women get, but back then women were the property of the fathers and husbands, and I’d miss indoor plumbing.”

Luc chuckled and walked over to Sandy and grabbed her face with his hands. He leaned close, nearly touching her lips to see if she would take his kiss. She didn’t. Scruples in humans were rare indeed. “Come inside. Let’s drink a cocktail.”

Luc had purchased the penthouse in the 1920s and everything about the suite carried the elegance of what it looked like living at the top of the heap. The views were breathtaking from his penthouse at night with the lights of the city. Sandy followed Luc inside the penthouse. She looked around and traced her fingers along the back of the white sofa sitting on top a rug made of thick white shag carpet. Two mohair club chairs were positioned close to the twenty-foot white marbled fireplace.

The combined living and dining areas had dark hardwood flooring that offered a grandeur the average working class only saw in the movies. The sleek black dining table held a silver candelabra along with fine china settings. A Parisian-inspired screen separated the dining room, with a long, black onyx bar fully stocked with any cocktails one might desire. Luc stepped over and out of thin air produced two cosmopolitans and offered one to Sandy. She took it from him and sipped. He was making slow progress.

Sandy sipped her drink and sat down in one of the club chairs. “You live well. I’m sure the other women and men you’ve brought to this suite went gaga. I grew up in a house that didn’t have expensive furniture or china. We didn’t live extravagantly. While I love beautiful things, beautiful things cannot love you back. Living to excess, having the best of everything the world offers, does it make you happy?”

Luc was taken aback by her question. He couldn’t remember anyone ever inquiring about his happiness. Sandy touched a part of his soul no one ever had, except The Creator. Most humans and demon angels wanted something from him. It didn’t take long in most cases to figure it out, and he used their desires to lock them into a contract he recorded into his testament. “Ever the clever one. Happy, what does it even mean? Can you honestly say you’ve lived your life happy? Baldric finally had the balls to admit his feelings, and it was the happiest moment of your life. Well, what have you been doing the other twenty-eight years? I’ll tell you. You’ve masked happiness with power. You’ve used your quite enticing body to bring men to their knees, sexually. But how many of those men wanted to marry you outside the throes of passion? Maybe one lovesick moron. And your lifelong best friends. You resent their happiness. You resent their constant judgment over your lifestyle choices. Well, I say, celebrate who you are. Celebrate your sexuality. Don’t allow society to dictate how you’re supposed to feel.”