1606010611-When-a-Good-Angel-Falls-Kougar.doc (10 page)

Volcano tenderly smiled, set his mug down on the mantel. “Jump over the Hummers.”

“Yeah, strap me in, full super speed ahead. Join our energies, destroy whatever is in the way, unless you have a better strategy.”

“Decoy route on the cycle, enough to send them in another direction.”

“If I’m who you say I am, wouldn’t they assume we’re headed for LA?”

“Seattle is also a star ray opening for many sacred groups.” His eyes glowed, looking like star ray openings to her.

“What’s left of the city? Or the new tent city around it?”

“The new community of people. They have successfully forced FEMA and the UN troops to leave.”

“Some good news. Assuming they don’t use bio-terrorism. Or some other horrible way to subdue them.” From the sheer power of his gaze, and radiant purple color of his eyes, Sedona wondered if she shone with purple light.

“I know you have felt betrayed by God, Sedona.”

“Often. Truthfully, cherub.” Despair washed over her, such a fierce devastation it felt unbearable. Still, she had become all too used to the onslaughts of unbearable pain. Sort of.

“The Good forces have gathered to protect those in
Seattle
and in LA.”

“You’re turning more golden, cherub.” He smiled with knowing, making her insides feel golden. “Do you mean before LA is lost to the ocean?”

“Before, or perhaps, never. The future unfolds.”

Sedona sighed, hugged her knees, and curled her toes. “I could use a stiff drink. Brandy, maybe. And I rarely drink. Any Brandy Alexander manna?”

“Brandy Alexander bubble bath?” he tempted.

“Only room for one, if you’re suggesting carnal fun in the tub.” Sedona pointedly gazed at his bold standing serpent, which glowed like a gold coin.

“Only one,” he promised. “I want you to rest, Sedona.”

“This is great. Submit to a whelp cherub—sorry, I’m not usually this mean in the name-calling department. But it is galling. Most people would think you’re my grandson.” She scowled in his direction, and attempted to look matronly.

“Bubble bath. I wash your back while you soak. Then we rest, and later we’ll listen to George the NightHawk on the radio.” He grinned as if he’d just provided the perfect solution to all her problems.

“Bubble bath. I soak, and try to recuperate from my life. End of story.”

Fully turning to her, the more-than-handsome naked cherub bowed. “I shall draw your bath. Bubbles included.” Grandly, he exited the room. Sedona nearly laughed.

“Better a cute cherub than an ugly cherub,” she muttered, amused despite herself. She heard the water running and attempted to turn off the spilling faucet of her thoughts, thoughts that would get her nowhere now. Standing, she wrapped the blanket around herself. “I don’t care if he has seen me naked.” Stiffening her jaw, she headed for the bathroom.

He knelt by the tub, swirling his hand, the bubbles foaming up. He grinned adorably at her as she entered. “Your Brandy Alexander bath, foxy lady.”

“Impossible cherub!” she scolded. Sedona dropped the blanket defiantly. Red cheeks and red irritation owned her. She dipped her hand in the delicious looking water. “Perfect,” she admitted, then stepped in while trying to avoid his gaze. Which was impossible. He still hungrily devoured her, his eyes absolute purple smolder.

Sedona frowned deeply, sliding beneath the beautiful bubbles. The creamy tan water welcomed her like a caress, and the sumptuous Brandy Alexander fragrance enveloped her. “Goddess, this is wonderful. Thank you.”

“Yours to explore.” Like rich velvet his voice rubbed her senses.

“Explore what?”

“The hidden talents of your personal cherub.” He undid her hair, letting his fingers drift through her waist-length tresses.

“Oh, my god, no fair.” She languidly undulated like a mermaid, as she always did in bath water. “Now I feel excited, curious about all your talents, you brazen bad cherub. And also, terribly guilty.”

“The good girl angel complex.” Volcano soothingly combed his fingers through her hair. “Brazen and bad, Sedona, I am bathing in your pleasured essence.”

“For real?” His arm appeared before her gaze briefly. “Your skin is shimmering.”

“Not the same as if we were bathing together.” His suggestive purr warmed her as much as the steamy water.

Frustrated, she smacked the water lightly with her hand, and watched the bubbles fly.

“Talk to me, Sedona, I’ll listen like a friend.”

“Yeah?” Hope is your enemy, she reminded herself.

Slipping his fingertips up her scalp, he gently massaged. But only briefly. “Hand on the cherub oath.”

“Yeah. Well, here goes. Sixty-one and I still feel guilt because I’m not willing to give you what I think you want from me. How sad is that?” she derided herself. “And now, I’m turning you into a gal pal. Dysfunction digs its own hole to hell.”

Volcano laughed. She whipped her face around, utterly surprised. He leaned back on his heels, and continued laughing, nearly guffawing. Sedona sunk below the water, holding her breath, somewhat mortified. Her head emerged quickly since the tub was designed for soaking, not submergence.

“Something I said?” she muttered, once his laughter ended.

“An inside hell joke in my realm, Sedona.”

“Mortals are the ultimate source of joke material, right?”

“Let the mortal part of you consider it divine flattery,” he jovially teased.

“Yeah, it was missing in the great heavenly experience. God needed a good laugh, and mortals were born.”

“The One experiencing Itself as laughter,” he crooned, then lifted her wet hair.

“What are you doing?” she cranky demanded.

“I am your personal cherub. I am washing your hair. You will comply, part mortal.”

“Never deny the divine, is that it?” she dry cut, yet knew her voice also sounded fragile.
“If it makes you happy, cherub, go ahead.” Tears flooded her eyes unbidden, unwanted, just there to be released.

“Tears to be surrendered.”
He tenderly spoke to her, then
palmed water over her hair.

“I should never have agreed to this lifetime.” She wiped at her tears. “Yes, I loved my family. I loved my friends, my precious, precious animals. Sure, there were some good times. Once upon a time or two. And no, it’s not worth it to me, especially with the loss of our freedom, our country.” Sedona sniffled back more tears. “Not that I regret helping people where I have. But, to be ultimately honest and selfish, I never wanted to be a so-called saint or like Mother Theresa, bless her good works.”

“Once inducted into the angelic realm, always divine in nature and purpose,” he gently spoke. Within, he sang with joy that she had chosen to be part of his realm. He lathered her hair, creating then gathering the cleansing sparkles from the sacred ethers.

“Coconut,” she pleasure-whispered, her tears halting. “I love coconut shampoo. Magic water, magic water spirits.” She raised hand, letting water cascade from her fingertips. “Used to hearing true confessions as a cherub?”

“Normal confession fare,” he whispered in her ear, then continued lather-massaging her hair and scalp.

“Darn, never special,” she mock complained. The warm comfort of the water raised her spirits. “Want me to dunk?”

“Not yet, just soak, Sedona.” Volcano stood, let the ether claim the lather from his hands. Then he summoned the ethers to bathe him as he needed for supreme well-being. “I’ll go away for awhile.”

“Just when I was getting used to you.” He watched her eyes close, her eyelids luminous as pearls. She relaxed,
lovely and buoyant as the mermaids he’d lusted after and frolicked with. He’d taken whatever sexual favors they offered. “Feel free to use the bathroom, cherub. I won’t look.”

“Thanks,” he amused spoke. “Cherubs don’t function physically as humans do. Even carnal cherubs.”

“Then if I were fertile you couldn’t impregnate me.”

Volcano didn’t answer. He didn’t dare. Not the answer she truly wanted. That was a conversation for another, much more advanced time. “There’s no possibility,” he assured her.

“I’ve heard that before.” She only half-teased him.

“I cannot, Sedona. Just by your will against it, I cannot.” He silently tread away from her, the image of a winged cherub baby in his mind
. He smiled.

“At least, it wouldn’t be by immaculate conception,” Sedona muttering joked.

“No, it wouldn’t,” he called back to her.

“Go away! Hey! Did you
divinely
inspire the water to stay this warm?”

“To your comfort, courtesy of your personal cherub.”

“Thanks!”

Volcano grinned, listening to her sigh as she sank lower in the water. Then he heard her murmur to herself. “I wonder what it would feel like to be this spoiled, this pampered?”

Immediately he decided he would make it his personal mission to spoil her and pamper her. Sacred-focused on protecting her, Volcano altered the radio to receive stations without being traced by the various big brother tech devices. He tuned into a rebel news station, listening for a bit before moving to sit cross-legged before the embers. Closing his eyes, he instantly communed with his Angel Guides about his assignment. As the instructions flowed, bliss pulsed through him.

Before the celestial frequency could be discovered by the Dark Masters, contact evaporated. His divine essence invigorated, Volcano communed with the animal spirits filling the cabin, listening to them and thanking them.

Knowing his Sedona still soaked without having to ‘invade’ her mind’s privacy, he concentrated on his cycle. Vibration by building vibration, he corrected the most minuscule of errors. Finished, he soared his awareness skywards, to his celestial craft.

“Arf, arf,” Jorque greeted him. “No intruders. Several attempts.”

“Who?”

“Dark Master beam-eyes. Intensified cloud cover. One Yeti shaman seeking contact with his space tribe.”

“Create new positions when needed. I’ll find you.”

“Someone is carnal flying. I smell it. Is she hot as earth sin?”

“Reluctant angel, reluctant human. Reluctant woman with me. She singes my wings.”

“Like father, like son. A rutting taste for fallen angels.”

“All in the angelic family. The Dragons?”

“Dragon leader, Xanuvvi, has agreed to meet with you. It seems he knows your Earther adores dragons, believes they’re real.”

“Did he speak about Maya LA, the presence of his people?”

“He would only indicate an ongoing summit meeting between his people and various reptoid and serpent nations. And say he felt it was time to leave the misty pages of myth.”

“Xanuvvi’s preferred way of meeting?”

“Isolated earth location near water, your woman included.”

“Demonic pursuit of her is greater than we foresaw. I will contact him directly as we travel. Reptoid movements toward LA?”

“Three Quetzalcoatl ships on arrival. No interference from Black Ops yet. One reptoid clan is on route for the ancient LA tunnels. Friendlies. Escaped from two Black Ops assaults so far. With a little divine assistance. Arf, should I ringy dingy, George the NightHawk? Give him a celestial canine’s view of Earth?”

“Speak your best Alsaishun. Good boy.” Before Jorque could answer, Volcano ended contact. He chuckled, then rose.

* * * *

“Something to dry off with. I didn’t even think of that,” Sedona sleepily muttered, then looked around. “The blanket will have to work.” She stood up letting the heavenly water, the bubbles sluice down her body before she stepped out.

“You need me, beautiful fallen angel?” Volcano light-hearted teased her.

Sedona jerked her face up to him. Invitingly he held a mammoth fluffy pink towel in front of his nakedness. “I can dry myself,” she snapped.

Volcano smiled mischievously, and tossed her the towel.

“Out!” She clutched the wonderful towel against her body. “You are not going to watch me.” Immediately, she turned away from his gorgeous statue body.

“I’ll keep the bed warm, unless you prefer resting in front of the fire.”

Warmly, sensuously, his voice stroked her.

“Gee, a cherub I can’t resist.” She wrapped the towel around her body. “A gift from the ether store?”

“A gift from me.” Volcano pivoted away, waited for her reaction. Her shocked short scream came moments later.

“What did you do to me?” she yelled, and demanded.

“That’s what you get for hanging around with a cherub,” he shouted back.

Slowly, transfixed, Sedona approached the bathroom mirror, not all that big. Her face shone younger. Her hair, still wet, was definitely redder. When she finally began drying herself, her body amazed her even more. “Younger skin,” she whispered, “as if I’ve lost five years, at least.”