Between (11 page)

“
Is this a dream?” She looked confused and groggy.

“
No.”

“
Did I die?”

“
No.” His tone was nonchalant.

She suddenly got out of bed and brushed her hand on the bottoms of her feet. The cuts and the pain she remembered were gone. Looking extremely baffled, she scanned the room and looked at Austin as if he was the last person on Earth she wanted to be with. When she remembered what had happened, she headed toward the double door without a word.

“
I can’t explain if you don’t give me a chance. You know there is no way out unless you jump. Then I’ll have to save you again. We’ll be back to square one.”

Claudia seemed to realize that Austin was right. She stopped and stood silent for a second before turning to him with a look of defeat.

“
Please sit,” he said, pointing to the bed. He waited for Claudia to get comfortable before he continued. “What I’m about to tell you, you may already know. There are several types of angels that exist on Earth. One type is called Earth angels, like Gamma.”

“
You knew Gamma,” Claudia asked in shock, her eyes suddenly filled with sadness.

Austin’s eyes grew wide, realizing he had just touched a sore topic. He ignored her question and continued. “These Earth angels guide humans, hoping to keep them on the right track. They live among humans as if they were humans. Second, the Twelve, but they were separated. Phillip, Margaret, and Agnes are at Crossroads, guarding the alkins, while the rest of the Twelve are located throughout Earth. On Earth, we call them the Divine Elders. Then, there is my kind. We are called the venators, meaning hunters. We don’t interact with humans much. We find demon spirits and eliminate them. So, I’m not the bad guy here. I don’t want to take your soul. I have no use for one. I’m here to protect you and keep you safe.”

Claudia’s eye grew wide and alert. “So…you’re not fallen or a demon,” she sighed, obviously relieved. She seemed to have understood and taken the information better than Austin had expected. But she was more curious with demon spirits. “What are demon spirits? And you kill them? Gamma never told me of your kind.”

There she goes with questioning all at once
, he thought, laughing inside, thinking how adorable she was when she did that. “It’s complicated, but I’ll make it simple and short. There are many types of demons, but one particular type of demon called demon spirit enters through human souls, possessing their bodies. These humans become like puppets. They do bad things, so we kill them.”

“
How many are there?” Claudia asked, in amazement that such things existed. She thought beings like those only existed in movies.

“
You mean, you want a number?” He looked puzzled.

Claudia wasn’t sure what she was asking. She knew he really couldn’t give her the exact number so she rephrased the question. “Are there many? Have you killed many of them?”

“
Throughout my lifetime, yes. I can’t give you an exact number. I’ve killed many,” he boasted.

Thinking about the demons reminded her of the moment when she had fallen, thinking he was a demon. “You have wings.”

He didn’t say a word. “Your parents…you lied to me,” she said calmly. “You said it was just you and your mother. You said your father passed away. I felt sorry for you. You took emotional advantage of me.” She started pacing, trying to remember what Austin had told her when he took her to the hospital to see Gamma.

“
Emotional advantage? Now that’s something new,” he let out a short laugh.

She gave him a cold stare. “You think this is funny?” she asked angrily.

Austin didn’t say a word. He knew she had every right to be upset with him. Then, Claudia remembered Michael telling her that his father was one of the Twelve; and only the Twelve had wings. As if Austin could read her thoughts he said, “Technically, I told you the truth. I actually have parents. My mother is an angel and my father was a human. He’s…gone…dead. I never knew him.”

“
So, you’re half angel and half human. No wonder you’re not like the Earth angel.”

“
Yes,” Austin shook his head and looked confused by her words.

“
Well, that explains a lot. Your lack of sensitivity is evident in your inability to be sensitive to my needs. You could’ve just used your words. You could’ve explained, but noooo, you had to show off and be rude. You had to be arrogant and selfish and…”

Austin didn’t let her continue with her jabbering. He couldn’t stand for her to hate him this much. Losing self control, he surprised Claudia by placing himself right in front of her in a matter of seconds. She was used to seeing alkins move in great speed, but it took her a moment to accept Austin was one of them.

Needily, he cupped her cheeks, all the while fighting against the desire he was feeling. Their eyes met, and neither one looked away. His eyes were running wild, wanting to tell or show her how he felt. Gazing into his eyes, Claudia’s face reflected the confusion she felt when she saw how much he cared for her. Her anger seemed to subside, and she seemed to be waiting for something.

She didn’t need to wait long. Without warning, Austin used his power and pulled her into a trance. She stood still in silence, unable to break free. Austin knew better than to do what was to come next but he couldn’t control himself, nor did he want to miss this opportunity. He would make her forget what he was about to do, but he could make her remember how it felt to be with him.

As his eyes continued to pierce into hers, he drew a vision of them inside Claudia’s mind. She was trying to fight back, but she was not in control. Too caught up in his spell, she whirled into a dizzy spin and surrendered. Her mind was now at his command. In the vision Austin had created, Claudia could feel his lips pressing onto hers as he held her tightly in his arms, afraid that she may slip away. He wanted her and needed her in ways he knew could never be. Longing to feel every part of her, he gently pressed his body into hers.

His hands, resting on her hips, slowly glided up and traced every dimension of her back. Continuing to the small fragile nape of her neck, he ran his fingers up through her hair, clenching his fingers in hunger, and kissed her deeper. Claudia broke free from his lips, dazed and confused, and then succumbed to her own desire and let her head drop back, exposing her bare neck. Austin understood this as permission to continue, so he began kissing her neck, sliding his tongue lower, making her quiver.

Their lips joined again passionately as he caressed his hands down to her rear and lifted her up. Her legs tangled around his hips as he held her against the wall. Her sweater had slid up, and she could feel his hands on her bare skin, moving upward, making her tremble with pleasure. Claudia felt hot with confusion, burning with the desire of wanting Michael, but she was kissing Austin. A part of her wanted him to stop and the other part of her was enjoying this moment of passion. She never knew that she could feel this way with him; she never wanted to know. It was Michael who she loved and wanted, not Austin.

But Austin had fulfilled his desire. He had wanted Claudia to get a glimpse of how she could feel with him, and he had succeeded. Then suddenly, he stopped and moved away when they were interrupted.

“
Tsk, tsk, tsk. Getting cozy on the job? Making out in her mind are you?” It was Michelle, and Gracie followed behind her. Michelle was gloating, her eyes glistening with joy, smiling with satisfaction to have caught Austin red handed.

Austin threw his hands down as if he had just put his hand over burning flames. Claudia broke out of her trance, breathless, weak at the knees and dazed, but she didn’t know why. It took her a few seconds to realize where she was and to refocus on what she wanted to say. Before she could say a word her gaze rested intently on Michelle and Gracie. Astounded by their presence, she continued to stare, realizing they were at Patty’s birthday party.

“
What are you looking at?” Gracie snapped.

Claudia looked away, embarrassed by her comment, and turned to Austin to vent her frustration. “Don’t tell me they are venators too?” Claudia asked hastily.

Austin rolled his eyes. She guessed that was a possibly a yes; either that, or he was extremely irritated by their presence.

“
You told her about us?” Gracie asked, surprised.

“
I had to. I had no choice,” he said in his defense, though he hadn’t disclosed any information about them, yet.

“
You always have a choice,” Gracie fired back. “You can’t control yourself around her.”

“
Don’t mind Gracie. She’s just jealous. Austin doesn’t pay that kind of attention to us,” Michelle informed. “So, you’re the one causing all sorts of trouble. A couple of our male angels seem to be forgetting that having impure thoughts is forbidden. Well, impure thoughts are okay by me, but acting on them is a whole different story. Not that we follow that rule either.” Michelle snickered. “Mind control can be fun too.”

“
That’s enough.” Austin was livid.

“
Augustine, baby, don’t get mad.” Michelle pouted, swaying her hips across the floor, trying to seduce him. After she reached him, she leaned toward him and ran her hand down the front of his muscular chest. “Perfect. You can invade my mind anytime: or my body.”

He pushed her hand away. “I said that’s enough.”

“
Fine. Play with your half human toy. And by the way, I released the first shield as you instructed. Michael’s coming and he’s gonna shred you to pieces with his massive wings. Not that yours aren’t nice too,” she teased, giggling on her way out the door.

Michael is coming?
My spirit was lifted. I knew he would come for me.

“
Michael is coming?” Gracie questioned, excitedly. “Michael, Michael, dreamy Michael. I would go to hell just to have one night with him.” Then she followed Michelle out the door.

“
Sorry about that.” Austin’s tone sounded sweet and sincere. “Michelle and Gracie were fallen angels. They’ve proven themselves by giving us critical information, which I’m not allowed to disclose. They are also under our protection so I’m stuck with them until this is over. Their attitudes and obviously their people skills need some brushing up on though.”

“
You think?” I huffed, unable to make eye contact. I felt uncomfortable. Something had happened between me and Austin that I could not explain. I felt something, sort of a twinge of anger and excitement. Then I decided to change the subject in my effort to know more. “Tell me, what shield is Michelle talking about?”

“
There is a shield around this island.”

“
We’re on an island?” I questioned, wondering what island we could possibly be on.