Arianna Rose: The Gates of Hell (Part 5) (3 page)

“Sola,”
she swore she heard Briathos’ voice whisper her name on the wind. 

A thick pane of glass separated them, but wise and powerful, Briathos was capable of many feats she had yet to witness.  Communicating telepathically would not surprise her if it were listed among
his abilities.  She smiled and waved at him, and shining eyes the color of ice over ocean water beamed up at her.  Briathos smiled back. 

Immediately, the worry plaguing her dissipated. 
She did not know why or how and suspected Briathos was somehow responsible, but briefly, she felt unburdened, free. 

“Briathos,” Arianna said softly. 

The white tendrils ceased their movement and draped over Briathos’ shoulders. His focus shifted from her to another.  Ramiel, tall, trim and lean with mocha-colored skin and sharp, regal features, materialized from the shadows.  In camouflage cargo pants, thick military boots and a fitted, long-sleeve T-shirt, he looked like a merging of a modern-day action hero and mythical warrior of a period long past. 

Ramiel and Briathos greeted each other, then both twisted and gestured deferentially in her direction. 

She offered another shy wave in time to see Leo, a man true to his name with a mane of golden hair and bronze skin, and Sorath, a man with jet-black hair and wide, almond-shaped eyes approach.  Both men stopped and genuflected.  She wished they’d stop doing that, treating her as if she ranked above them.  They were all the same, all fighting for the same purpose on the same team.

Arianna had been so busy watching
Briathos, Ramiel, Leo and Sorath that she hadn’t noticed Desmond slip from bed, go to the bathroom and return.  It wasn’t until powerful arms laced around her waist that she realized he was awake. 

“Good morning,” his rich, deep voice washed over her.  Heat rushed through her body and her belly flip-flopped as the stubble on his chin brushed up the curve of her neck, stopping only when his mouth planted a small, tender ki
ss on the shell of her ear. 

“Hey, how’d you sleep?” she asked and tried to sound offhand when in truth, her cheeks were flushed and her skin tingled. 

“Okay, I guess.  I was lonely, though.”  He turned her to face him.  Concern etched lines around his mouth.  “You weren’t able to sleep again.”

His statement was more of a question.  Arianna did not want to add to the weighty burden they bore.  She wanted to keep things lighthearted, so she joked, “It’s kinda hard to sleep next to a buff piece of man-meat like you,” she said and felt her cheeks glow like the flame of a candle. 
He smelled clean and fresh, minty with a hint of his spicy, leathery musk that was purely masculine, purely his. 

Desmond’s features scrunched.  “Hmm, nice try, especially the buff part, but I’m not letting you off the hook here.  You need to sleep, Arianna.  You may have supernatural powers, but your body still requires rest.”

“I’ll rest when I’m dead,” she replied and echoed the words of her late mother, Cathy Rose. 

When her mom would say nonsensical things such as what she’d just said, Arianna would be as confused as she’
d been mildly annoyed.  Desmond’s appearance mimicked her past feelings.  “What does that even mean?” he asked.  “Dead?  How do you rest when you’re dead?  You’re dead!  And I don’t want to talk about you dying, or think about it,
ever
.”  Clearly worked up, Desmond’s hands had fallen from her waist and were now balled in fists at his hips. 

“Okay, okay,” she said soothingly.  “Sorry.  It’s just a silly thing my mom used to say.”  Arianna’s gaze fell to her fee
t as she pictured her mother, her drugstore bangle bracelets clanging noisily as she raked a hand through her dyed blonde hair that stayed in place however it was positioned.  Her chest clenched at the memory.  “I didn’t mean to get you thinking about death,” she added and heard her voice catch. 

Desmond reached out to her and scooped her into his arms.  Her cheek rested against the hard planes of his chest and she was lulled by the steady beat of his heart.  “Oh Arianna,” he breathed.  “I didn’t mean to overreact.  Just the thought of ever losing you, it makes me insane.”

She knew the feeling all too well.  It was what literally kept her up most nights.  She wished she could stay as she was forever, and never leave the comfort and safety of his hug.  But she knew that as sure as blood pumped in her veins, the moment would pass.  They would have to leave again.  And they could not battle while locked in an embrace. 

“Don’t beat yourself up over it,” she said casually and leaned back so that she could look at his face.  Startling blue eyes met her gaze and penetrated any cool veneer she sought to exude.  “I worry about the same thing, only not me dying.  I worry
about losing you,” she admitted.  “I thought I lost you twice already.  I can’t imagine myself surviving that pain again.”

Desmond drew her close to his body, his sorrow at mention of what she’d endured plain.  His warmth charged the center of her being, filling her with his light, his love. 

But a gentle knock at the door interrupted their tender moment.

“Arianna? 
You awake?” Dane’s familiar voice called from the other side of their cabin door. 

“He’s got perfect timing,”
Desmond grumbled as he looked to the front room.  “I’m going to take a shower, a
cold
one.”

Arianna shook her head and chuckled softly before making her way to the door.  She opened it and found Dane’s tall, athletic
build filling the frame.

“Oh hey Arianna,” he said and a hint of color touched his dimpled cheeks.  He looked past her for a split-second.  “Uh, I was wondering if you had a minute to talk.”

“Sure, come on in,” she replied and made a sweeping gesture with her hand, ushering him inside. 

“Well, uh, are you, uh, alone?” he asked and stressed the word “alone.” 

“Technically, no, Desmond’s about to jump in the shower.  But I’ll put on a pot of water and make some of my famous mud-like coffee and we can talk.”

“Oh,” Dane shifted his weight from one leg to the next then tunneled his fingers through his hair
, which was mussed and coaxed perfectly to look like the bed hair of an underwear model.  “Never mind,” he said quickly then turned. “I’ll catch up with you guys later, I just remembered I have to do something.”

“Dane,
how’s it going?” Desmond called from the bedroom area.  He stepped from the bedroom and into the front room wearing only a pair of jeans that sat low on his hips.  The swollen peaks of his chest and the laser-cut hollows that outlined his abdominal muscles were on full display.  He stopped when he was just a breath away from her then placed a hand on the small of her back. 

“So
what brings you here so early?” Desmond cut to the chase and asked Dane straightaway. 

Dane looked like a deer caught in headlights.  “Oh, uh, nothing really.”

“Really, you came all the way over here for nothing?” Desmond quirked a brow and pressed.

Arianna could tell Dane was uncomfortable and swore that Desmond was enjoying every minute of his squirming. 

A spark flickered in Dane’s eyes for a fleeting moment, then a slow smile rounded his cheeks and deepened his dimples.  “Aw man, I’m busted.”  He raised his hands in mock surrender.  “I was jonesin’ for some of little mama’s special blend instant coffee.”

“You were?” Desmond asked and crinkled his nose. 
“If you say so.”

“I know man
, it’s crazy, right?  I’ve been cravin’ it.  It’s been too long since I had a cup.”

“You’re kidding, right?  He’s kidding, isn’t he?” Desmond looked between Dane and Arianna.

“Maybe it’s not as bad as we think?  It’s started to grow on me too,” Arianna fibbed and tried to help Dane.

“I find that hard to believe,” Desmond narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, as if reading her lie
. “But whatever.  To each his own.  That’s how the saying goes, right?” he asked of another Cathy Rose-ism Arianna found herself repeating more often than not lately.  She loved that Desmond paid attention, that he was keeping her mother’s spirit alive in that small way.  Now, if Arianna had the sudden impulse to bleach her hair and revive the “feathered” hairstyle her mother had favored, she fully expected him to intervene and put an end to paying tribute in that way. 

“Yes, that’s how the saying goes.  My mom would be so proud.  Now can you scoot out of the way so Dane can come in?” she said and gave Desmond a playful shove. 

Dane’s gaze zeroed in on her act, and she suddenly felt guilty, though she was unsure why exactly.  They were all friends.  Dane was a player, a title he gave himself on many occasions.  He didn’t have feelings for any one particular girl.  In fact, when she’d first met him, he’d once referred to women as ice-cream flavors and went on to boast he was eager to sample them all.  So why did she feel uncomfortable every time she showed affection to Desmond in his presence? She wondered.  Perhaps it was because he’d come to be a brother of sorts.  She’d never had siblings.  But since his sister, Beth, had been like a sister to her, the familial feeling carried over to him. 

“Oh man, you know what?” Dane made a point of checking the time on his phone.  “I’m gonna have to take a rain check. 
I gotta teleport into town.”

“Teleport into town?  This early?” Arianna question. 

Dane’s brow ticked and a tiny frown curved his mouth, then he looked to Desmond and his features changed.  “Yeah, I got this honey I met a while back.  She texted me she’s getting off work soon.  Guess she wants a little bit of this action,” he said and raised both hands so that they were level with his chest and did a little sway. 

“O
kay
then.  Better not keep the honey waiting,” Arianna heard herself say testily.

Dane stopped immediately and looked at her contritely.  “I’ll catch up with you later,” Dane
dropped the odd cadence he’d been speaking with and said to only her before disappearing from sight.

“What was that about?” Arianna
shook her head and asked as soon as he was gone.

Desmond pursed his lips and scrutinized her for a moment. 
“Oh, come on!  As if you don’t know,” he said disbelievingly. 

“What do you mean,
oh come on
?” she mimicked how he’d spoken.  She shut the door behind her.

“You don’t have to pretend for my benefit, Arianna.  Come on.”

“There you go again with the
come on
!” she imitated him a second time.  “And what the hell exactly do you think I’m pretending about?”

“Enough already, it’s me.  You don’t have to fake ignorance,” he persisted.

“Fake!  Ignorance! Desmond, what the hell are you talking about?”  Arianna felt her temper begin to flare.

“Dane,” he drawled out the name. 

“What about
Dane
?” she copycatted how he’d spoken. 

“You know, his feelings for you.”

Arianna folded her arms across her chest.  “What feelings?”

“Arianna, please, drop the act.  Everyone knows about his little crush on you.”

“Uh first of all, there is no act to drop and I resent the implication, and second of all he does
not
have a crush on me.  I would know if he did, and he doesn’t!”

“Someo
ne is protesting a bit too much,” he retorted in a singsong voice that grated on her nerves. 

“And someone’s about to get banished to this lumpy excuse for a couch if he doesn’t cut it out,” she fired back
with the same tone.

“
Whoa there, no need for banishments.  I’m simply stating the obvious.”

“There isn’t an
obvious
to state,” she said the words through clenched teeth. 

“He’s in love with you!” Desmond blurted
out.  “Why can’t you see that?  Everyone sees it!”

“He is
not
in love with me.  He loves me like a sister.  And who’s
everybody
you keep mentioning?”

“Uh, Jason,
Avery, Briathos, Ramiel,” Desmond began counting, ticking off names on his left hand.  “Leo, Sorath, Mr. and Mrs. Parker,” he continued.  “Should I keep going?”

Arianna’s cheeks blazed.  She was embarrassed and angry simultaneously.  Not knowing what else to do, she huffed and pushed past Desmond, making her way to the bathroom where she proceeded to slam the door and lock it. 

“Arianna, I’m sorry.  I can see now that you really didn’t know.  Please, open the door.”

She could tell he was being honest, that he genuine
ly regretted needling her as he had.  Desmond was not that kind of person.  He was not petty or cruel.  Still, she couldn’t find it within her to respond, much less open the door.  So she ignored his pleas and undressed, opting instead for a shower.

Standing beneath the measly spray that streamed from the showerhead, Arianna closed her eyes and allowed the hot water to relax her tense muscles and soothe her overwrought nerves.  She leaned her head against the wall closest to her, felt the smooth tiles absor
b her weight, and instantly, she felt herself fall away.