Gods and Mortals: Fourteen Free Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Novels Featuring Thor, Loki, Greek Gods, Native American Spirits, Vampires, Werewolves, & More (255 page)

“Come closer,” said the oracle sternly.

Fighting the urge to run away from David and the oracle, Kara stepped forward. “Wait a minute…I think you’re making a mistake. I don’t think I’m the right person for this job…”

The oracle put a finger to his lips and nodded imperiously. “The Chief has chosen
you,
Clara
,
to join his army, to become one of his guardian angels—a true and sacred honor.” His golden stare hypnotized Kara. “Now, you must repeat after me.”

Kara nodded.

The oracle continued. “I, Clara Nightingale…”

“It’s Kara.”

“Oh no! Did I get it wrong again? My memory is not what it used to be.” The oracle smiled and wiped his brow.

“Let’s start this again.” He cleared his throat. “I,
Kara
Nightingale, declare myself servant of the Legion of Angels. I will perform my duties as a guardian angel wholeheartedly. May the witnesses of my oath hold me to it.”

Kara felt foolish, but repeated everything word for word anyway.

“We will hold you to it!” declared the oracle and David together.

And then something strange happened. First, the oracle’s skin started to blaze a soft golden color, and then he leaned forward and pressed his thumb on Kara's forehead. His touch burned a spot between her eyebrows and sent a sizzle of electricity from her head to her fingertips. She felt heavier somehow, as though the simple touch had weighed her down. After a moment, the oracle leaned back and Kara watched his eyes slowly return to their natural blue color. The crystal ball shimmered and then lost all of its brilliance.

She reached up and touched her forehead, running her fingers along the spot where she had felt it burn. Her brows drew together. She could feel the outlines of a star…just like David’s. The oracle had branded one on her as well.

“I have a
star
on my forehead?” said Kara, which was more of a statement than a question, as she rubbed her brow. A tiny smile reached her lips.

“It is the symbol of the Legion of Angels. You are a guardian angel now…you swore the oath.” The oracle steered his crystal ball back to the other side of his desk and sat back down. He glanced at the clock. “And now
you
have a job to do. Time is of the essence! Daniel!”

David flipped a black duffel bag over his shoulder and strutted over to the pool. “That’s me. Let's go, kiddo. We only have a half hour to get to Mrs. Wilkins before she dies in a weird dishwasher accident.” He climbed up the little ladder hanging over the edge of the pool and stepped onto the ledge.

Kara frowned. “Hold on. You mean to tell me that to reach Mrs. what's-her-name, we have to jump into the pool?”

“That's right,” answered David as he lowered his bag and jammed the file into it.

It was too weird. But then again, she
was
dead—walking, talking, with a golden star burned into her forehead.

Kara took a few tentative steps towards the pool. “Wait a minute…how come
I
wasn’t saved? Where’s
my
guardian angel?” Images of her life flickered inside her head…her family, her friends, her paintings. “Why wasn’t there anyone to save me?”

David zipped up the bag and threw it over his shoulder. He flicked his eyes down at Kara and grinned widely. “You were saved—well, your
soul
was, that is.”

“Huh?”

His eyes were thoughtful as they rested on her. “Your soul was chosen. You were destined to become a GA. It was just a matter of time before you died and were shipped up to Horizon! We’re running low on guardian angels, you see, and you were next on the list.” He winked.

“I was
chosen
?”

“Yup. By The Chief himself. Thinks you’ve got what it takes to do the job. And, speaking of the job, we have to go…” David threw out his hand and beckoned her to join him.

“So, how do you know what's going to happen to her—that woman—before it happens?” Kara clamped her hands around the metal pool’s cool railing. “I mean, how is that possible?”

“You forget where you are. Oracles can see into the future. It is their gift. They know days before that someone is about to die. So they assign a guardian angel to save that person's soul. It's your job to save them, no matter what, before the demons devour it.”

“Demons?” Kara’s eyes widened. She felt her body tense up. It took a few seconds to gather herself. “Are you kidding me?” An image of her mother flashed in her mind’s eye.

She turned her attention to the oracle, who was ignoring their conversation completely. His eyes were gold again. He stared into space, still as a statue. Kara wondered if the little man was scrying into the future at this very moment.

“The oracle's busy now. He's doing his job; now it’s
our
turn.” David grabbed hold of Kara's arm and pulled her up the little staircase, settling her next to him. His gaze narrowed. “Now listen carefully. Are you listening?”

“I’m all ears.” But Kara couldn't shake it off, the feeling of dread. Demons were her mother’s favorite subjects—a crazed woman’s imaginary foes…right? “No…no one said anything about demons.” She tried to put on a brave face for David, but she knew it wasn’t working.

“Don’t worry. Nothing’s gonna happen…it’s a real easy assignment, trust me. We’ll be back before you know it.”

He smiled and studied her face. His blue eyes glistened. “Up here, water is important. Remember that. It’s the gateway between Horizon and Earth…it's how we travel.” He flashed another smile, his teeth exposing their radiance. “So we have to jump in. You ready?” He grabbed Kara by the elbow, edging her forward.

Kara stared at the pool's reflections, imagining demons in the deep water—waiting for her.

“All right then,” said David, “on the count of three…”

“What? Wait! I'm not sure I want to do this…”

“One …”

Kara jerked her arm around, desperately trying to rid it of David’s iron grip.

“Two …”

“Wait!” squealed Kara. “I can't swim!”

“Three!” David pushed himself off the ledge and jumped, dragging Kara down with him.

She splashed into the water and sank to the bottom. The water didn’t
feel
like water at all, more like fog, or a heavy mist, like when you’ve stayed too long in the shower. Kara could breathe easily, somehow, probably because she had no lungs. She turned her head and tried to look for David, but she began to spin fast—horizontally—with ear-piercing shrieks as whitish bubbles seemed to consume her. White light exploded all around her. Shielding her eyes, Kara managed to look down. The light was coming from her. Her entire body was illuminated by fluorescent white light. She felt a sudden pull and watched her body disintegrate into millions of brilliant particles. Then she started to float away.

With a last flash of light, everything around her disappeared.

K
ara forced
her lids open and looked around. She frowned.

The shadows of the world around her were a hazy blur, as though she had opened her eyes under water. She felt dizzy, almost like the time she stole a bottle of wine from her parents’ wine cellar and drank half the bottle. But this was different. She was trapped in a strange body. She searched inside this body and found herself. She willed the body to move…she moved her fingers, then her arms. This new body felt like she was wearing it on top of her other self; a skin-tight suit.

As the dizziness lessened, her nerves calmed. She concentrated on her hearing. She could hear the distant sounds of traffic and the soft murmurs of people talking. She blinked. Shapes became focused. It was as though she were watching the world through someone else’s eyes. She looked down at her new body and pressed her hands against her chest. Nothing. No beating of the heart, no lungs compressing. Empty.

Her eyes slowly adjusted to the shadows around her. She was in a humid alleyway that stank of last week's garbage. She followed the smell and spotted cats eating from the metal dumpsters. Tall brick buildings masked the light. Shapes moved within the shadows. Kara recoiled as two grubby looking men eyed her from a dark doorway, whispering at each other.

Then something touched her shoulder.

Kara jumped backwards and nearly fell.

“Relax, Kara, it’s me.” David reappeared. He wore the black duffel bag on his back. His cheeky Colgate smile made his face a little too handsome. Kara turned away so that he wouldn’t see the flush she felt staining her cheeks. Then she remembered—she couldn’t blush. She had no blood.

“How you feeling?” he asked, as he clasped her shoulder.

Kara grimaced. “Like my sixteenth birthday hangover.” She lifted her head. The world around her was in focus now, but the ground still wavered slightly. She felt excited to be back, even if it was only for a short while.

David stared into space, a silly grin on his face. “Yeah …those were fun times.”

He sighed and turned back to Kara. “But that’s normal. It’ll go away in a few minutes.”

He let go of her shoulder and dropped the duffel bag on the pavement. He bent down, rummaged through the bag, and pulled out a map. After studying it for a moment, he stuffed it back and pulled out a brown leather wrist watch. “Good, we’re only a few blocks away.” He leaped to his feet and strapped the watch around his wrist.

A breeze masked the dumpster smell for a moment as it brought in exhaust fumes, hot pavement, and dog poop from the busy street. Kara brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She brought her hand up to her face and studied it, wiggling her fingers, focusing on the fact that she was in a body that didn’t belong to her.

Back in Horizon, before taking the big plunge, she remembered feeling like her old self, just without the internal organs…but like herself. But now back on Earth, after her death, this body felt alien. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to this.

“The M suits take some time to get used to the first time. Believe me, I know!” David clapped his hands together. “Man, I remember my first time …I was totally spacing out.” He laughed, his eyes sparkling.

Kara smiled. He reminded her of the college boys she’d seen around the city: young, beautiful, and full of themselves. They oozed an
eau d’arrogance
. Most of the high school girls drooled over these boys. She had labeled them “The Untouchables.” David was one of them. He was very handsome, with a strong athletic build. She felt uncomfortable being so close to him. Their eyes met for only a second, and Kara was sure he had just read her mind. He smiled.

“But you know, after a few suits, you’ll hardly feel them anymore…they kinda become part of you.” David straightened out his jacket and flipped the collar up. “Yeah …that’s more like it.”

Kara frowned. “What do you mean by
M
suits
?
”

“Mortal—humans—Earth dwellers. If you’re not part of the Legion, you’re a mortal.”

“So you’re saying I’m wearing a
human
suit
?
”

“Yup.”

Kara made a face. “That’s disgusting!” She shook her head. “I still can’t figure it out. How did we get here?” Her brown eyes searched his face.

“You see,” explained David as he studied her, “when we jumped into the pool back on Horizon—remember? Right, well, we were sorta
transported
to Earth.” He lifted his arms and pointed to his chest. “In these babies.”

“Right…in these body bags,” said Kara, and she looked down at herself. She studied her arm. She pulled back her sleeve and passed her hand over her skin. “Feels…different?” she said and looked up into his eyes.

David nodded as he smiled at her. “I know. You’ll get used to it.”

“So these bodies just
magically
appeared?”

“Ha!” He laughed. “You’re funny. But…ah…
no
. See, when we travel between Horizon and Earth, we need to submerge ourselves in water…the pools, remember? Water serves as a gateway between the two worlds. It also allows us to create our M suits and then shed them later. Don’t ask me how, it just does. And we call the process ‘Vega.’”

Kara blinked
.
“I’m a puppet without the strings.” Her mind wavered inside her mortal body, anticipating movement. She shifted her weight from one leg to the other…a thought was all it took now. The body responded. Like water sucked into a sponge, her spirit was absorbed entirely; body and soul moved as one. She didn’t need to will her body to move anymore. It was quickly becoming second nature to her. She rested her hands on her hips. Perhaps it wouldn’t be as difficult as she first thought. “I think I’m getting the hang of this.”

David watched her and grinned. “In Horizon we don’t need flesh and blood bodies, our bodies are immortal. You’re still the same person you were, just not in the same mortal body. You think and feel exactly the same. It’s like you never left your old body. But our mortal bodies are gone…and as a GA, you have to submerge yourself in M suits to walk on Earth…your soul would die without them. Think of them as another version of your old body. But I have to admit, I love wearing suits…they make me feel invincible!”

Kara felt her mind ease with every passing moment. It wasn’t so bad after all, this new life that was starting to emerge.

“Okay, wow …so where do we go from here?” asked Kara, as she practiced moving her limbs. She took a few steps, staring at her feet, grinning. She had to admit, it did feel pretty awesome once you got used to it.

“We have less than
fifteen
minutes to get to Mrs. Wilkins before she
slips
and
dies—
in a freakish accident
.
You ready?” David cocked an eyebrow. “It’s time to reveal my
extraordinary
talents!” His teeth gleamed, and he rubbed his hands together.

She looked up into his grinning face and shrugged. “I guess?”

“Don’t worry, I’m here with you,” said David. “And
you
, you will be witnessing a true master of his craft…first hand! I’m
that
good.”

Kara shook her head. “Wow…are all guardian angels this cocky, or am I just really lucky to be stuck with you?”

“I’m the hottest thing in Horizon, baby,” said David, his eyes flashed mischievously. He threw the black bag over his shoulder, straightened out his jacket, and strode off. “Let’s go!” He yelled back.

“Sure thing, hot stuff,”
laughed Kara.

She ran to keep up, trying not to trip on her new legs. Soon the alleyway disappeared, and they found themselves in sunlight, facing a busy street. Tall palm trees decorated the length of the street on either side, like enormous lamp posts. Their leaves ruffled in a light breeze, bringing forth the smell of the ocean. Instantly, Kara knew she wasn’t in her hometown anymore. She spotted a metal street sign at the corner. “Northeast 5
^th
Street” was stenciled in white at the top, on a green platform. She had never been here before.

“Where are we?” asked Kara after a moment. She stared at a giant aloe plant.

“Fort Lauderdale, Florida, baby,” answered David. He strutted up the street with ease, and Kara assumed this wasn’t David’s first trip to Fort Lauderdale.

They walked along 5
^th
Street, zigzagging through crowds of shoppers. The smells of onion, garlic, fish, and spices surrounded them. She imagined a juicy cheese burger.

“Can we eat? I mean …do we need to eat? Like …can we taste food?”

“No. These are mortal suits, not real mortal bodies. We don’t eat.”

“That sucks…I was hoping to try a slice of pizza or something.”

“You could try …but it’ll be like eating paper.”

“I think I’ll pass, thanks.”

Kara followed David closely. She still felt uneasy about wandering the streets in a new body. She looked passersby in the face and wondered if these people noticed something different about her. “Do you have a mirror on you?”

“Why do you want a mirror?” David stopped walking and met Kara’s eyes.

“To see myself. I’d like to see what I look like.”

“Oh…of course. You want to make sure
you
are still
you…
come over here.” David walked up to a parked car. He made sure no one was looking. “You can check yourself out with this.” He pointed to the side mirror.

Kara leaned in and took a peek. “I look exactly the same? Same eyes, nose, hair? Great…I even have the same zits! How’s that possible?”

“Because you’re you.”

“But what happens if someone I know sees me? They’ll flip out!” Kara pictured her mother’s frightened face. She figured she’d probably die of a heart attack, seeing her dead daughter wandering the streets like a zombie.

David grabbed Kara by the elbow and steered her away from the car. “They won’t because you don’t look
exactly
the same to them...you’ll appear a little different. You’ll have the same brown eyes and brown hair, but you’ll look like a cousin or something.”

“Oh. I don’t have any cousins.”

They walked along another block until they reached North Andrews Avenue and turned south. Couples with children passed them by, and Kara thought of her own family. At that moment she felt miserable. She missed her mother. Even though she was a little mad, she was the only mother Kara ever knew. She imagined her mother’s grief-stricken face and wished she could tell her somehow that she was okay.

“Do you miss your family?”

David was silent for a second. “Sure I do. I miss them all the time, but I wouldn’t trade my life in Horizon for anything. I love my job. We’re part of an elite group…chosen to keep the mortals safe. The rush I feel on a mission…you can’t get that same feeling doing anything else. It’s dangerous, and I love pushing the limits. I’m good at it. It’s like …this is what I’m supposed to be doing. Besides, we get to play with the coolest weapons!” His face lit up.

Kara wondered if David had had many girlfriends back when he was alive. She knew the answer to her own question, and realized she was being silly. But another question burned in the back of her mind. “Can…can I ask you something?”

“Sure. What do you want to know?”

Kara avoided his eyes. “How…how did you die?”

“Oh, that,” laughed David. “Well, it wasn’t anything spectacular. I drowned.”

“You drowned! Oh my God! That’s a horrible way to die.”

“Well, actually, I drove my parents’ car off a bridge. So it’s a little more bad-ass.”

Kara imagined the scenario in her head. “What was it like? I mean …to drown? Did you suffer? It must have been terrible.”

“The last thing I remember was a feeling of flying—which was really cool, by the way,” said David. “Then the car hit the water, and I hit my head on the steering wheel. I blacked out. And then I woke up with a monkey breathing down my neck.”

“Right, the chimp in the elevator.”

David adjusted the bag on his shoulder. “Then I joined the Legion…became famous with the ladies…pissed off a few angels...and the rest is history.” He paused for a second before continuing, his expression thoughtful. “What about you? What do you remember about your death?”

Kara scratched the back of her neck. “I didn’t feel anything when I died—I mean, I didn’t feel any pain. I remember the bus coming at me. I remember thinking it was too late to run out of the way…then it hit. The next thing I remember, I was in an elevator.” She shook her head. “I thought I was dreaming.”

“I think we all go through that.” David pointed. “There it is, 187 North Andrews Avenue, apartment number three…your first assignment. Let the show begin!” He glanced at his watch. “We don’t have much time. Quickly!” He jogged to the front of the grey stone building and ran up the metal staircase, three floors to apartment number three.

Kara stared up at him from the bottom of the stairs and shrugged. “Great. I’m stuck in The Amazing David show.” But she ran up the stairs, her body completely in tune with her.

“The key to a successful assignment is to do the job
quickly
and discreetly. Save the mortal…and get out. No need for any demons if you save the mortal.”

“Um, these demons,” said Kara, “what do they look like?” She couldn’t help but cringe while she waited for the answer. If demons existed, there was a slight chance her mother saw them too.

“Depends. There’re lots of different kinds of demons. Some can look like monsters from your worst nightmares, and others can look just like you and me—mortal.”

“With black eyes?”

“Yeah…how did you know?”

Kara’s head spun. She tried to gather her thoughts. “My…my mother saw them I think. She…she called them demons. She said they were after us. I mean…we all thought she was nuts. I never saw anyone or any demons. I wanted to believe her. I tried so hard. She made it sound so
real…
but I couldn’t. I spent most of my life hiding her away from everyone so they wouldn’t put me in foster care. See, my father died when I was five…so it’s just…it was just the two of us.”

“Well, she wasn’t crazy.” David cocked his head to the side. “Some mortals can see spirits and demons…they’re called Sensitives. They formed a secret mortal society and have been dealing with the Legion for hundreds of years. Your mom is probably one of them.”