His Soul To Keep (Dark Knights of Heaven Book 1) (19 page)

Chapter Thirty-Four

Cassidy bolted upright and cast a wary glance around. A strange growl in the room had her on alert.

Rail walked in towel-drying his hair, giving her another start.

"What’s wrong?" he asked, dropping the towel to the floor.

"I heard a noise."

Rail laughed, joining her on the bed. "Was it a rumble?"

Cassidy’s stomach answered. Embarrassment raced through her. Cassidy pulled the sheet over her face.

"Oh, good. You’re up." Her mom walked in and pulled the sheet form her daughter's hands, a big smile on her face. "I thought you and your young man would like something to eat before the others polish off the pot roast."

"Sounds delish, Mom, but I’m thinking tea and toast."

"Pot roast sounds wonderful, Mrs. Long," Rail answered. "We’ll be down in a minute."

His look of longing at the mention of pot roast made Cassidy giggle.

"All right, dear." Mrs. Long nodded and closed the door. From the hall, Mrs. Long's voice echoed, "Sorry, boys, you’ll have to stop at seconds so Rail can eat!" A great deal of grumbling followed, including a comment from Cassidy’s brother about, "Only giving the big guy five minutes or all bets were off."

"I think we’d better hurry if I plan on having more than bread," Rail joked.

"Give me a second to wash up." Cassidy moved gingerly to stand, wobbled, and then headed for the door. Rail gave her a kiss as she passed him. "Your mother left some clean clothes on the vanity."

"Oh, good. I wasn’t looking forward into putting these back on." She plucked at her shirt, leaving Rail leaning against the banister, yelling at the group below.

“There had better be food left when I get down there.”

Ten minutes later, Rail carried Cassidy downstairs, and for once she didn’t complain. Instead, she nuzzled his neck and basked in his embrace. With a kiss, he deposited her on the sofa. "If I had my way, your feet would never touch the ground again," he whispered seductively.

Heat raced across Cassidy’s skin.

* * *

“E’hem." Mrs. Long approached with two plates—one bearing a cup of tea and several slices of toast, the other piled high with pot roast, potatoes and all the fixings. "I thought you would prefer to eat away from the battle for the last dinner roll."

Rail took the plates and set them on the coffee table. "Thank you, Mrs. Long. You’ve been very kind, but you needn’t cater to us. I’m sorry for taking over your house."

"Unlike my husband, I’m more forgiving about such things." She winked at her daughter and walked away. From the dining room she called, “But I accept your apology.”

"Did I miss something?" Rail asked, taking a seat on the floor so he could use the coffee table.

"Obviously, you have no idea how much mess and trouble seven teenage girls can cause at a sleepover," Cassidy mused, picking up her tea and blowing across the rim.

"At the risk of incriminating myself with any other answer, I will say you are correct." His eyes closed in bliss at the first bite of post roast. "Heaven."

"Rail?"

"Hmm?"

"I want to tell them the truth…all of it." She set the tea aside. "I know Kaz will shit kittens over this, but—"

"Fine."

Caught off guard by capitulation, Cassidy tilted forward in shock as she reached for a slice of toast. With a gasp, she stopped sliding forward by grabbing the edge of the coffee table. "What?"

"We’ll tell them the truth," Rail pulled his plate closer. "but after I finish eating."

Cassidy quickly righted herself, her laugher mixing with the laughter from the other room.

Rail excused himself to the kitchen, taking the dirty plates with him. Cassidy wondered if he’d even taken a breath while he’d plowed through two helpings of pot roast and potatoes. As soon as he was out of the room, Cassidy found herself under attack.

Tempe jumped onto the sofa, gathering her into a suffocating embrace. "I’ve been so scared. You have to tell me everything."

"Let me breath and I will," Cassidy choked out with a cough.

"Oh! Sorry." Tempe released her and sat back as J.J joined them.

Cassidy took note of the way her brother’s arm automatically wrapped itself around Tempe’s shoulders and smiled. "When did this start?" She nodded to their joined hands in J.J.’s lap.

J.J.’s arm retreated, but Tempe didn’t let go of his hand. "At the memorial service, I guess. Oh, Cass. It was so awful."

"Hey!" J.J. swatted her arm.

"The service, not being with you." She swatted him back with a laugh.

"What…what did…I mean…" Cassidy stuttered, not sure she could take hearing about her mock funeral, but at the same time curious to know what happened.

"People said nice things about you. Your co-workers came. Oh, and your mom put that statue you love so much, you know, that little marble one? Uhh…‘Awakening Dawn' on a pedestal in the front with your picture. J.J. even said nice things about you." Tempe shifted in her seat. "It was weird talking about you, knowing you were out there somewhere." Tears slid down her cheeks.

"You two weren’t ever supposed to know I was alive." She shifted uncomfortably under her friend's stare.

Tempe took Cassidy’s hand and gave it a squeeze. "Well, you’re back now so it doesn’t matter."

"I can’t stay. I’m not even supposed to be here now. This little visit was," she let out a breath, "an accident."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" J.J. snapped.

Wondering how to answer her brother, Cassidy looked up and caught Rail's eye as he escorted her parents from the dining room. His smile and slight nod filled her with confidence. "It means things weren’t all I said they were. This is bigger than me seeing something I wasn’t supposed to."

"Rail…" Tam's warning growl rumbled through the room.

"No," he snapped. "Cassidy’s arrival here has changed everything. They have a right to know, Kaz be damned."

"Then what was it about, honey?" Mr. Long took a seat in his favorite recliner, his wife perched on the arm.

"I didn’t see something on the computer. Didn’t stumble across something illegal in my research. I wasn’t attacked by spies or government agents." Cassidy took a deep breath as Rail sat next to her, lending his strength. "I was attacked by a demon and Rail saved my life."

Chapter Thirty-Five

Two hours later, Cassidy was drained of energy, but lighter in her soul. Telling her family everything that had happened since she’d vanish had lifted a weight. Freed her in a way she didn’t understand. Of course, she had strategically omitted the wild monkey sex, her super soul bond with Rail, and her own death-resurrection experience. Her parents didn’t need to know all the details yet. Instead, she focused on her bond with Rail and her involvement with the Fallen Angels and their war.

"I’m sorry, honey." Mrs. Long excused herself and walked to the kitchen. "I just can’t process this…"

"Can I see the wings again?"

"J.J.!" Tempe and Cassidy punched him in the shoulder.

"What?"

Rail snorted a laugh. He had exposed his wings and fangs to help validate Cassidy’s story and prove that he and the others really were more than human. "Sorry, but unless I’m fighting or very emotional, it takes a lot of energy to bring them out without letting my darker side out as well."

"Oh. Well I could piss you off…"

"And he could rip you apart," Cassidy laughed at her brother's horrified expression, "but I don’t think that would make the best impression on mom."

"Never mind." He sulked.

Cassidy viciously rubbed her knuckles into J.J.’s scalp. "You would never know he’s older than me."

"Boys stop maturing at age twelve, you know," Tempe explained. Of all of them, she took to the strangeness the best.

"Is that true for you guys too?" Cassidy asked the trio of warriors.

"We were created as adults, but I’d say the principle applies to some of us." Tam tilted his head toward Boomer.

A ripple of laughter rolled through the room, breaking the tension. Shattering glass and female screams sent the mood in a completely different direction.

"S
kratars
!" Rail and his brothers rushed to the kitchen. Their movements were so quick; they retrieved their weapons without breaking stride.

Under the debris of the smashed window and breakfast table, Cassidy’s mother was doing her best to protect herself from the monster invading her home. Rail landed the first blow to distract the creature. "Get her out of here!"

J.J. slid into view, followed closely by his father. Each dove into the action. "Come on, Mom!" he yelled over the battle. Dragging his mother free, he pulled her to her feet and out of the kitchen.

"There’ll be a second one outside waiting for us to make a run for it!" Boomer yelled, placing himself between the Long’s and the demon.

"Upstairs!" Mr. Long shouted, shoving his wife and son into the living room. Cassidy grabbed a stunned Tempe and led the charge upstairs.

Relief flooded Rail knowing Mr. Long was taking charge, confident he would protect them. With a battle cry, he turned his full attention to the beast in front of him.

The warriors came at the
skratar
from opposite sides, slashing at it with their swords. "Fuck," Boomer cursed when the blade glanced off.

"This one has markings on it just like that one in Peru did," Tam noted, dancing away from the slashing claws.

Rail crouched in front of the
skratar
, threw his shoulders back, and roared. When the monster answered his challenge, Rail drove his sword down the creature’s throat, the point exiting at the base of the skull. To his astonishment, the
skratar
twisted sideways, ripping the sword from his grip.

* * *

"Mom, are you okay? Did it scratch you?" Blood trickled from several small cuts. Cassidy’s heart tightened. She didn’t know what she would do if her mother had been poisoned.

"I don’t think so, dear."

"You have to be sure. Even a scratch can kill you."

Before her mother could answer, another crash downstairs sent Cassidy running for the bedroom door.

"No! Cass." Her father grabbed her arm. "You can’t help them."

"I have to try!"

"I didn’t say we weren’t going to fight, baby." Charles Long turned to his son, tossing him a ring of keys. J.J. gave a sharp nod and disappeared into the closet.

Cassidy shook her head, knowing what her father and brother were up to. "Daddy, guns won’t work against these things."

J.J. returned, handing his father a shotgun. "Your friends had a shit load of guns on them."

"All they do is piss the
skratars
off." Cassidy slumped onto the bed next to her mother and pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes. Gunshots sounded below her feet. "Fuck it. Give me a gun," she demanded, motioning to her father.

"Me too." Tempe held out her hand.

Grinning, J.J. disappeared back into the closet, returning a second later with a rifle and another shotgun, a handgun tucked in his waistband. "What’s your pleasure?"

Tempe grabbed the handgun and handed it to Cassidy, and then took the rifle for herself.

Cassidy stared at the weapon as though she’d been handed a snake. Hands shaking, she stood, sucked in a deep breath, and took the safety off. Her legs wobbled. Swallowing, she took her place between her father and her brother. "Aim for the eyes and the throat. A head shot is worthless. Their skulls are boulders, and their skin is armor."

The bedroom door burst open and four guns snapped up.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Rail skidded to a crouching stop, hands up. "Whoa! Don’t shoot!"

Cassidy dropped her gun and threw herself into his arms. Thank goodness Rail hadn’t been fully transformed or her family may not have heeded his request. His eyes were still blazing from battle, and his normally sun kissed skin was a few shades darker, but his wings and bone halo were gone, and his fangs were already retreating. "Are you okay?" She patted him down, looking for injuries.

"Yeah, sorry about your kitchen, Mrs. Long."

"Lord in Heaven!" Mrs. Long jumped to her feet. "My kitchen."

"We get attacked by a monster and all she worries about is the mess in the kitchen." Her husband laughed and pulled his wife into a bear hug.

"Is it over?" Cassidy searched Rail’s face for answers.

"We’re not out of the woods yet. Tam and Boomer have their hands full with the second
skratar
out back and police and rescue are on the way."

Questions bombarded the couple.

"What are we going to tell them?"

"What if that monster goes after the police?"

"Shut up!" Hands holding her head, she sank to the floor.

"Cassidy?" Rail knelt beside her. "Sweetheart? We’ll take care of it."

She nodded, but her fear couldn’t be dampened. "I brought this here. I brought those monsters to my home." Tears raced down her cheeks. "You tried to warn me."

"You didn’t choose to come here. You sure as hell didn’t ask for those bastards to find you. You didn’t break any rules." Rail stood, bringing Cassidy with him. "Now, up on your feet. Everything will be fine." His cell phone buzzed in his pocket. "Kaz and the others are here."

"Yo!" Boomer's voiced echoed up the stairwell. "All’s clear."

"What about the cops?" Pulling Cassidy with him, Rail leaned out the bedroom door.

"Kaz is dealing with them."

"How is this Kaz
dealing
with this?" Mr. Long stood, arms crossing his broad chest. "My kitchen is destroyed. There are dead monsters lying around. And the neighborhood, if not the whole city, had to have heard the guns and yelling…"

"It’s a gift." Rail winked at Cassidy.

"So, he’s another, uh, Fallen Angel?" Mrs. Long gave Rail a hard stare.

"It’ll be okay, Mom," Cassidy answered. "Kaz is like Rail's boss. He’ll take care of it."

"What will he do?" Charles Long took two steps, putting himself between Rail and his wife. His tone made it clear he would not allow any violence against the police.

"Kaz has the gift to change people’s perceptions. We all do to some degree, but he’s the strongest. He’ll make them believe they see what he wants them to."

"Just like that?"

Rail placed his hand over his heart. "I swear, no one will be injured. Kaz will come up with a plausible story to replace what they’ve seen and heard. No one will be the wiser."

"I’m going to hold you to that, young man." Charles jabbed a finger into Rail's chest.

Rail smiled broadly at being called a "young man" and clapped Charles on the shoulder. "No one’s called me that in a very, very long time."

* * *

"Will my parents be safe now?" Cassidy stood in the backyard with Rail.

"Yeah, once we’re out of here they should be," he pulled her closer, "but I gave your brother my cell number in case of an emergency." Brushing a kiss over her forehead, he whispered, "But don’t tell Kaz."

"Thank you." A door slammed, and Cassidy looked toward the house. "What a mess."

"We’ll take care of everything, sweetheart. Don’t worry; we’re experts at cover up." With a smile, he placed a kiss on her trembling lips.

"Cassie?" Tempe’s harsh whisper cut through the darkness.

Cassidy tensed like a schoolgirl caught making out. "Shh! Not so loud," she hissed.

Tempe jumped and spun around. "Cass?"

Rail chuckled. "She can’t see us." He wiggled his fingers. "Angel magic."

"Cass? Stop hiding. It’s been a long night."

Cassidy punched Rail in the arm. He dropped the cloak hiding them.

The other woman squeaked in surprise. "Damn it, Cassandra Antoinette Long," she squealed. "You took ten years off my life."

"Cassandra Antoinette?" Rail snorted.

"Don’t you start," Cassidy bristled. "No one is allowed to call me by my full name except Mom and Dad." With a playful punch, she pulled away. "Sorry, Tempe. I was hiding from all the unwanted visitors. How’s Mom?"

Tempe took Cassidy’s hand and squeezed lightly. "Your mom is doing fine. One of the other angel-men gave her something to drink. Said it was a precaution. You know, in case that thing scratched her. Now she’s acting kind of tipsy." She smiled.

Cassidy nodded, not prepared to tell her best friend that the drink given to her mother was blood. "Good. Good. I had that medicine too. Packs quite a punch. Did Kaz take care of the first responders?"

Her friend nodded. "They’re just leaving. Most of them have a kind of dazed look. I even think one of the officers questioned a neighbor about a false 911 call, but I don’t get why no one has mentioned or even noticed the huge hole in the side of the house."

"Magic, remember?" Rail answered nonchalantly. Tempe stuck her tongue out at him, making him laugh. "We’ll get plywood up tonight, and tomorrow Charles can play it off as remodeling. Should only take us a day or so to make arrangements for a new window. What do you think your mom would like?

"You’ll have to talk to Dad."

"I’ll get him for you. I think he wants to talk to Rail." Tempe gave Cassidy’s hand one more squeeze and turned to leave." Oh, I almost forgot. Your mom wanted to know if you’ll have time to go through your things before you leave."

"My things?" Cassidy’s brow furrowed. "What things?"

"You know, all the stuff from the apartment? Well, not
all
the stuff. I kept the furniture and a few things to remember you by." Tempe choked up for a moment. "We didn’t know if we’d ever see you again, but we hoped. It’s all in the garage."

The bottom dropped out from Cassidy’s stomach as though she’d leapt off a cliff. "They kept everything?" She bit her lower lip to keep a sob from escaping. She had expected her family to keep up the ruse and throw everything away. Bury it instead of her.

Tempe took a step toward Cassidy, stopped, turned, and ran back to the house. "I’ll get your dad."

As Tempe opened the back door, Boomer stormed out. "Kaz is in a holy rage over this, man."

Rail shrugged. "Figured. The bodies?"

"Taken care of, thanks to Zach. He wanted them for research."

"Did the second one have the markings?" Rail ran his hands through his hair.

"Didn’t look."

Rail gave a sharp nod. "What about the mess?"

"Clean up is under way."

"Thank you." Cassidy gave the other warrior a hug. Seeing her father exit the house, she ran to him. With a salute, Boomer made a hasty retreat.

Rail responded with a one-finger salute of his own from behind Cassidy, mumbling, "Coward," at his retreating friend.

"Daddy! Are you okay? How’s mom? Tempe said one of the guys gave her some, uh, medicine."

"She’s fine. We’re all fine." Charles stared at Rail hard enough to drive nails. "Your friends did their thing to the police and the EMT’s. It’s like nothing happened."

"I’m sorry, Daddy. This is entirely my fault. I should have made Rail take me back as soon as he showed up."

"No, it’s not." Rail moved behind her. "The
skratars
could have already been hunting in the area. Besides, you needed this time with your family." He gave her a quick kiss.

Mr. Long folded his arms across his chest. "Now what?"

"We’ll arrange for a contractor—"

"Fuck the window! I’m talking about the two of you." Charles ran his hands over his face. Huffing, he jabbed a finger at Rail. "Is this what you dragged my baby into?"

"Daddy! Rail didn’t—"

"Yes," Rail answered over Cassidy’s protest.

"—drag me into anything." Cassidy stuttered to a stop. Rail's answer hit her in the heart. She took a deep breath and slowly released it. "I told you, Daddy. I was born into this. It’s my destiny."

"To Hell with destiny!"

"Dad, stop it."

"Don’t
dad
me," her father huffed. "I will not have my baby fighting monsters!"

Refusing to be cowed, Cassidy got up in her father’s face. "I don’t plan to!" Planting her hands on her hips, she leaned in closer. "And if I decide I want to, well, I’m an adult and you couldn’t stop me."

"No, but I could," Rail answered harshly. "I will not have you fighting, either," at her glare, he hastily added, "if I can prevent it."

The three of them stood, staring at each other until Cassidy broke the silence with a long sigh. "I’m sorry, Daddy."

Mr. Long rested his hands on her shoulders. "I’m sorry too. We just got you back, and you’re leaving again. Now that we know what you’re involved in…" He stepped back and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "You," he jabbed a finger at Rail again, "you better protect her. I’m trusting her life to you."

"I know." Rail smiled at Cassidy. "I’ll do my best, but she’s a handful."

"That, she is." Pulling Cassidy into a crushing hug, her father whispered, "Be careful, okay?"

"I promise, Daddy. I’ll be as careful as I can."