As Emma drove her ancient pickup truck down the school’s dirt road, she paid little attention to the striking, craggy mountains rising up to kiss the sky. She didn’t feel the hot breeze wafting through the opened windows, causing sweat to gather around her neck and trickle down between her breasts. No, what she felt was relief washing over her. She had jokingly called Prophet’s Point Elementary School her second home for six years now, but it had only felt like one since Michael D’Angelo, the school’s principal, came on board. He was a breath of fresh air for the school and had become a good friend. He’d unintentionally made it a place one could leave worries at the door, like she needed to today. Once there, she thought maybe Hannah would forget about last night and concentrate on her friends and schoolwork. The jokes she told on the way to school hadn’t gone over so well. Hannah had offered her usual polite smile, but that’s as far as it went. Was last night’s nightmare going to af
Blackness slowly faded into light. Why was she lying down? She blinked her eyes a few times and realized she was on the floor of her classroom. There was someone with her, by her side, urging her to wake up.“Come on, Emma, wake up. Wake up, please.” Michael D’Angelo was gently whisking her waist-length, ebony curtain of hair away from her face when she slowly stirred. “There you go. That’s it. Wake up now. Emma, do you know who I am?”“Yes, I know who you are. You’re my principal. Oh God! Why am I on the floor? Did I faint or something?” She struggled to sit up, but he put a firm yet gentle hand on her shoulder that held her in place.“It seems like it. Now don’t get up yet. Just relax while I get you some water.” He hopped up, took a bottle of water from her mini-fridge and returned to hand it to her. “Now sit up slowly.” She did. “That’s it. Lean up against your desk here. Take a sip, not too much.”Emma felt embarrassed as all hell, but obliged the man standing above her who looke
It wasn’t until an hour after school let out that her principal showed up at Emma’s door. But that was okay with her. She’d needed that time to build up her courage. Luckily, Hannah went without a fuss over to the Aftercare Program. With that concern out of the way, she now prayed Michael wouldn’t think she was nuts and reconsider continuing her contract for next year. He wouldn’t let this interfere, would he? She’d known him for six years now. They had a great professional relationship. He’d always been kind to anyone having a problem and was always willing to help in any way he could. But this, this wasn’t your average “run of the mill, hey, can-you-help-change-a-flat-tire problem.”She was taking a huge risk now. This was definitely an issue that crossed over the line from professional to personal. Emma shook her head and rested her forehead on her desk, confidence deflated. What exactly did she expect him to do about her beleaguered daughter’s nightmares that anyone else hadn’t al
The ranch house, inherited from Emma’s parents, was small but sat on six acres of prime real estate with mature palm trees lining the drive and desert landscaping around the perimeter. The rest of the lot was left in nature’s hands. The view was spectacular with vistas of the mountains nearly everywhere you turned. She always enjoyed the quiet serenity surrounding her home. As she opened the door and entered the house, though, it was a completely different story. Recently, she had been feeling anything but serene inside. Maybe she was sleep-deprived and imagining things, however, she felt as though all the good vibes that used to be there had been sucked out, leaving behind a sense of uneasiness and dread.Michael walked in and quickly retreated, bumping into Hannah. “Oof! Oh, I’m so sorry! Are you okay? I must have tripped on the threshold here.”“Oh, I’m okay, Mr. D’Angelo. Don’t worry.” She ran past him to the playroom. Emma went directly to the kitchen, washed up, and put on an ap
There was a silence as thick as molasses. No, Michael wasn’t himself. Not at all. Not since he found Emma lying unconscious on her classroom floor earlier this morning. Disquieting thoughts had been swimming through his mind all day, unbidden, and served as frequent distractions. Like how God awful beautiful she was with that long, wavy, dark-as-midnight hair he could easily imagine brushing across his bare skin. And how her almond-shaped eyes were made for seduction. And her lips. Every time she nibbled on the bottom one, he had wanted to help her. How many times had he thought of her like this since the day they’d met six years ago? He figured he had the longest running crush on a woman in history.He’d never acted on those feelings, though. It was completely unprofessional, and with these latest developments, it was especially awkward. Although he had to admit, for the first time in the six years he’d known her, he felt consumed beyond measure by her raspy voice, her sensuous body,
Conflicting thoughts swirled around in Emma’s mind. She stood abruptly and paced the floor. Her face flushed and her heart raced. “All right, Michael, I’ve been very patient, considering. I’ve listened like you asked. You know,” she tittered as her eyes snapped to a copy of Alice in Wonderland on the bookshelf. “I had really invited you over here tonight because I had kept Hannah’s nightmares a secret, and after last night, well, I couldn’t do it anymore.“I needed to have someone besides me know what was going on around here, so I could look at that person and find the strength to go on. I thought it could be you.” A gulp of air, a slow release, and she turned to face him as her body seemed to hum with unrestrained energy. “Now you share with me a story about who you ‘really’ are, who my daughter ‘really’ is, and who I ‘really’ am, and you know what? I’m not buying it. Not at all, buddy. So I’m going to ask you politely to get your ‘immortal’ ass out of my house before I do call the
Michael slammed his hands against the steering wheel as he drove back up the driveway to the street. As if I should have expected Emma to have reacted any differently?He understood her anger, her denial. She should have known who she was when she was six years old, not by accident at thirty. Too much time had gone by. Enough time for a child’s innocence to have died and an adult’s cynicism to set in. But if he looked at this objectively, how could he hold back? Their lives were in danger, as was the fate of the mortal world. There was no time to be gentle and take it slow.So Satan has re-surfaced, and Agremon is with him. Agremon’s presence intrigued Michael more than Satan hanging a shingle. There was a score to be settled with the fallen angel. Brethren weren’t usually in the revenge business, but this development called for an exception. It’d been a long time since the forces of Good and Evil collided. It had been a war to rock both mortal and immortal worlds—Michael’s specifical
With a mere wave of his hand, Agremon abruptly altered their surroundings to one of a cemetery. A dense fog hung around them like a shroud, and a cold darkness replaced the warmth of the soothing sunshine. Emma shuddered uncontrollably. He compelled her to stand before what appeared to be a centuries old mausoleum. With another wave, he changed their attire. He was decked out in a funereal suit, and she wore a strapless, sheer, black chiffon evening gown. As awareness finally broke through her stupor, she looked around. For a moment, she almost wanted to laugh.“If you think turning this into one of those old time vampire movies can scare me, you’re way wrong. I grew up watching those silly movies and loved them.” A spark of confidence ignited inside her. I might live through this nightmare yet.“Don’t you think I knew that little detail about you? I research my subjects very carefully, precious. Oh no, you’re not starring in a campy