Gods and Mortals: Fourteen Free Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Novels Featuring Thor, Loki, Greek Gods, Native American Spirits, Vampires, Werewolves, & More (180 page)

“Will you be gone long?” I asked.

“However long I’m gone, it will be too long. I’ll worry, but I know you will be in good hands. I trust Davin, Caleb, and Vivian with my own life. I need to tell them about you, but only if you are comfortable with it.”

I had no choice. “Yes, of course. I completely trust you,” I said.

He embraced me again. “One for the road,” he said and kissed me intensely, leaving me standing in a daze, wanting more.

He disappeared into the cloudless night sky. As much as I hated to see him leave, I knew he felt the same way too. You’re supposed to be floating in clouds when you’re in love. How is it possible to love someone and yet feel such pain at the same time? As I tucked myself into bed, I thought about Gamma, Claudia, and Sophia, my real mom. I wondered what she had looked like. I also tried to picture how my dad would have looked, but I couldn’t. He was a spiritual being, a being I could never imagine as my dad. So I just closed my eyes.

“
H
ello
, Claudia.”

I was just about to fall asleep when I was startled by Davin’s greeting. I groggily sat up on my bed. “Davin,” I said, surprised to see him so soon, even though Michael had forewarned me that Davin would be watching over me.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you like that,” he said apologetically. “Michael asked me to look after you. He told us that your father was one of the Royal Council and that you have the Holy Spirit’s soul. We were in shock.”

“Oh,” I said softly.

“Don’t worry, we won’t say anything.”

“I know. I trust you.”

“Something is bothering you. What’s on your mind?”

“It’s just that I have so many questions.”

“We all do, and I know how difficult it must be for you,” he said tenderly.

“It’s hard to believe,” I said, looking away, still unable to believe it myself. “I feel so useless.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do all alkins have powers?” I asked.

“Depends on what you mean by power.”

“I was just wondering why I’m still me. If I’m who I am supposed to be, why can’t I do anything special?”

“Claudia, I don’t know. Give it some time.”

Davin sat next to me on my bed, trying to comfort me, but it didn’t work.

“Did Vivian and Caleb leave with Michael?” I asked.

“Yes, but they’ll be back.”

“I should get some sleep,” I mumbled quietly. I didn’t even know if he heard what I said. “It’s a good thing I don’t have to go to school tomorrow.”

“You must be exhausted. It’s been a long day.”

“A long week,” I mumbled again, barely keeping my eyes open.

“If it’s okay with you, I’ll be sitting on that chair. I’m supposed to watch you like a hawk. Michael will have my throat if I leave you even for a minute.”

“Sure. Wherever makes you comfortable,” I said, my eyes still closed.

“I’ll just read some of your books or try the computer. Google or something. There are so many things I need to learn about your world.”

“Okay then. Good night, Davin. Do alkins sleep?” I thought the question was silly, but I had to ask.

“Let’s just say I had to before, but since we were sent to Halo City, it has not been a necessity.”

“What happens if an alkin kills an angel?” I asked.

“I think it’s forgivable if it’s done under self-defense, don’t you think? Are you trying to find a way to get rid of Aden, like the rest of us?”

“It did cross my mind, although I wouldn’t know how. I don’t know how it could be done.” Then anger boiled inside me. I didn’t know where this energy was coming from. I sat up on my bed. “I hate him! I hate him so much that I wish I could kill him myself! I want to see him suffer as much as he has made me suffer!” I was full of rage.

“Whoaaa, Claudia. I’ve never seen you angry like this. Let’s bring your heart rate down a notch. Don’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that you’re thinking of him.”

“I’m just confused, frustrated, and angry.”

“I understand. I guess I would feel the same if I were in your shoes. But for now, our focus is to keep you safe. At least now we know for sure why he is after you.” Davin continued telling me stories that sounded like whispering voices as I drifted off to sleep.

Beep! Beep! Beep! My alarm clock went off. Davin frantically tried to turn the alarm off while juggling it like a hot potato. The alarm clock rang loudly, to the point that it was annoying, but I was too tired to get out of bed to turn it off. I motioned for him to come to me, my eyes half opened.

“Sorry, I was just playing with it, and—”

“Don’t worry, I’m going back to bed,” I said as I slammed the off button.

“I could have done that, but I think I would have broken it,” I heard him say as I dozed off to sleep again.

When I opened my eyes with ease, I knew I had a restful night. It took a few seconds to bring me back to reality as I glanced over to my desk to see Davin posed in exactly the same position as before I fell asleep, his feet crossed on top of the desk with his arms resting behind his neck.

“Good morning, sleepyhead. I didn’t know you could sleep that long.”

“What time is it?”

“Time for dinner.”

I didn’t believe him. “No, seriously, what time is it?”

“I am serious. You slept for eighteen hours.”

Shocked, I sat up so quickly that I felt a head rush. I placed my hands over my head to stop the room from spinning.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah. Just a head rush,” I murmured.

“It seems that I have that kind of effect on you.” He grinned.

I smiled back, remembering the first time we met. He held me so I wouldn’t fall. “Yeah, I guess,” I replied with a small laugh. “Did my mom come to see me in the morning?” I asked, worried.

“Yes, but don’t worry.” He pointed upward. “The roof.”

“Thanks, sorry.”

“You owe me one or two, or more,” he said jokingly.

“I know, someday,” I said. I knew he was joking, but the truth was that I owed him for many things. “Did you leave? I mean, did you need to go back?” What I really wanted to know was if he had a chance to see Michael.

“Yes, I felt a bit weak so I had to go back. Caleb watched over you while you were sleeping. See, everything turned out fine.” Then he smiled as if he knew what I really wanted to ask. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see Michael. I don’t know what he is up to, and he won’t tell us. That’s just the way he is, always looking after others before himself. All I know is that when he makes a promise, he’s good for it. Don’t worry. I’m sure he’s fine. By the way, this thing keeps on shaking.” He handed me my cell phone.

“Oh, you don’t know what it is?”

“Of course I do. You think I’m that ancient?” He gave a teasing smile.

“No, I didn’t mean it that way.” I could have kicked myself because the last thing I wanted to do was offend him.

“I was just kidding. When I picked up the calls, this thing didn’t answer back.” He looked confused.

“Let’s take a look. It’s actually letting me know that I have text messages. I guess Vivian didn’t show you?” I questioned.

“I don’t pay attention to things we don’t use. Vivian is fascinated by technology, unlike me,” he said.

“See, I have two messages. The first one is from Patty. It says: Sorry about Gamma. How r u?” I texted her back: Thanx for dropping off my bag. Don’t worry. Text u later.

The second one was from Kristina. How r u? Gotta talk about b-day on Fri. What should I wear. Lol!

“Human girls, why don’t you just pick up the phone and talk? Why do you need to make things complicated?” he laughed, obviously amused.

Our conversation was interrupted by the vibration of my cell phone. I picked it up. “Hello.”

“Hello, Claudia.”

“Hey, Kristina.”

“I just found out. I’m sooo sorry to hear about Gamma. How are you?” she asked caringly.

It had been only three days since I last saw her, but it seemed like I hadn’t spoken to her in years. “I’m fine,” I said softly.

“Maggie wanted to call, but I told her that I would.”

“It’s all right. Just let her know I’m fine,” I said.

“Sure. I know it’s not a good time, but Ryan’s birthday is this Saturday, remember? Can you go?”

I wasn’t up for a party, so I tried to think of an excuse. “I know I promised, but…but I didn’t have time to buy a gift.”

“Don’t worry. I bought a big one. I could say it’s from both of us,” she said. “Usually I would beg you to come out, but I know you probably don’t feel up to it. Maybe it will do you some good to see your friends.”

“Well, I don’t know.” I was hesitant at first, but she was right, I did want to see my friends. “I did RSVP to the Evite. I’ll need to ask my mom.”

From the corner of my eyes, I could see Davin frowning and shaking his fingers back and forth. He was mouthing the words, “No, no, no.”

“I gotta go, Kristina. Thanks for calling. I’ll call you later.”

“Are you crazy?” Davin blurted out as soon as I hung up. “You know I can’t let you go. Michael will be furious with you and especially with me.”

“Calm down, Davin. I didn’t say I was going to go alone.”

“Oh.” He calmed down and then was deep in thought. He gave me a curious look knowing I was up to something.

“He said to stay put, but as long as you’re with me…,” I said, putting thoughts into his head.

His mouth dropped. Then he gave me a conniving smile. It didn’t take much to convince Davin.

“So let me think about this.” He was pacing back and forth, probably weighing the odds of Michael finding out. “Girls…dance…girls. Okay, if we go, we can’t stay out too late.”

“It ends at midnight,” I said.

“What? What party ends at midnight?”

“My curfew.”

“Oh, okay then. And you have to stay right next to me so I won’t feel guilty for you talking me into this, which I will regret if Michael ever finds out. Is that a deal?”

“Don’t worry, Davin, I won’t leave your sight. I’m not going to party the night away. I made a promise, and I just want to see my friends. Who knows, it may be my last party.”

“What? What do you mean?” he asked.

“What if something happens to me? What if Aden—”

Davin didn’t let me finish. He had a serious look I’d never seen before. “Claudia, you can’t think that way. You need to know that we will do everything to keep you safe. Our lives will be lost before yours. We are your guardians.”

“I…I…okay,” I said, looking down, feeling humbled. I didn’t know what to say. His words, our lives will be lost before yours, echoed in my head. I was extremely touched, and I knew he meant it. With another question in mind, I looked up. “Davin, when this is all over, will I see any of you again?” My eyes were uncertain.

“I don’t know what will happen. I just don’t know, Claudia. I wish I could make things easier for you and give you the answers you want to hear. Let’s not dwell on matters you cannot control. But one thing is for sure, knowing Michael, I don’t know how he does it, but he always gets his way.”

I gave him a smile because I knew he was trying to make me feel better. Then I changed the subject. “Hey! How are you going to get girls to dance with you dressed like that?” I pointed at what he was wearing, scanning his outfit up and down.

He looked at himself. “You’re right. I look too plain in jeans and a T-shirt.” He winked. “Don’t you worry, I’ll look my part.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Our laughter was interrupted by Mom. “Claudia, dinner time.”

“I’ll be back,” I said, feeling stomach pangs from hunger.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll just surf the web on your computer. I’ve got a lot to learn. You humans are way more complicated than I thought.”

Just as I was halfway out of my bedroom, Davin placed his hand on the screen, and the computer turned on.
Amazing
, I thought.

I
t had been
about a week since Gamma passed away. A part of me didn’t want to go to Ryan’s birthday party because I was still grieving, but Mom thought it was a good idea since I would be surrounded by friends. Although I knew Gamma was gone forever, I was surprised at myself for not falling apart.

“Hurry up, you’re gonna be late,” Davin whispered.

“Haven’t you heard of being fashionably late?” I whispered back through the door so Mom wouldn’t think I was talking to myself.

“I didn’t know you wanted to be late.”

“Do you have a car? I told my mom that I had a date.” I took a deep breath and walked out.

“You didn’t say anything about a—” He stopped mid-sentence. Davin stood by the door staring at me. “Claudia, you look great. I mean, not that you didn’t before, but—”

I interrupted. “Thank you. I know what you mean.” I showed him two items that I held in my hands. “It’s called makeup and a curling iron. They’re two great inventions that can make any girl look good.”

“Well, thank you to the inventors,” he said, making a whistling sound.

He made me blush. “Well, you look great yourself. I don’t think any girl will be able to resist you.”

“Really?” He checked himself in front of my closet mirror. His black slacks and dark gray dress shirt made him look like a GQ model.

“Let me do something to your hair,” I said, squeezing gel on my hand.

He backed away as soon as I held up my hands. “Wait a minute. What is that? Nobody messes with my hair.” He lightly tapped his hair. “This is gold to me.”

“Let me make it golden then.” Without his permission, I ran my fingers through his hair to slick it back. He fussed and turned, but ultimately gave in. “See, much better.”

“Really?” He looked at himself in the mirror again, amazed how a different hairstyle could change his appearance.

“This is gel,” I said, amused that this simple thing was so new to him.

Suddenly, Davin looked out the window, startled.

“What is it?” I asked quickly and moved behind him as my heart thumped rapidly.

“I feel a presence,” he said sharply and stood dead still.

I swallowed briskly and held my breath as I waited for Davin to tell me what to do.

“We can relax. It’s Caleb and Vivian,” he said.

When Caleb and Vivian appeared, I exhaled with relief as my premonition of fallen or demons flying through the window disappeared.

“Don’t think you’re going anywhere without us,” Vivian said, smiling.

Davin and I were surprised to see them, but I was mostly overjoyed. “Vivian, you look great!” She had on a spaghetti strap V-neck dress that framed her thin body.

“It’s fun dressing up, and I love your dress too,” Vivian said, looking at me approvingly.

I wore the black chiffon dress that Patty had given me for my birthday. “Thanks,” I said.

Then we both looked at each other and said at the same time, “Fashion Wear.”

As we giggled, I gave her a tight squeeze to show her how happy I was to see her again. I quickly turned to Caleb, not wanting to leave him out. “You look nice too.”

He gave me a big smile. He wore dark gray slacks and a black-buttoned down shirt, which looked great on him. They always looked beautiful, but dressed up, they were drop-dead gorgeous.