“If you think this is best, okay. Oh, about your home, Serena; you don’t have to worry. Everyone from work spent time over there fixing up the place since we knew you’d be coming home soon. We felt you shouldn’t have to come home and see any reminders of the attack.”
“God bless you! I want you to know that if the big man upstairs hears me at all, you and everyone at work are the most blessed people on the planet! I’ll see you soon.”
Callie laughed heartily while Serena tried not to. It hurt too much.
She dreaded the confrontation once Raphael got wind of her change of plans. If he wasn’t in the foulest mood right now, this would surely do it. But this is my life, my decision. If there is danger to be had, I will face it alone and deal with the consequences. I’ve taken care of myself and others for so long that alone is what I’m used to anyway. And besides, I’m pretty good at it. She’d
Serena watched dumbfounded as Callie shoved the gorgeous behemoth out of the way to get to the guest bedroom.“Saucy wench! I think I’m in love, Raf,” Kemuel retorted with a wicked grin.Before she left, Callie winked at her and smiled. Raphael rushed over to help ease her onto a kitchen chair. He took the phone from her grasp. “Hey, how are you feeling? I hope we didn’t disturb you.”At first, she sat there in shock, numb. Raphael is here? Why is he here? And my girlfriend is not only safe, but has literally scolded two mammoth-sized men in my kitchen.“I’m just curious,” Raphael said while waving her phone around. “How exactly did you plan on using this to save Callie, and in your condition?”“Well, I thought I’d….” She tried to justify her actions and raised her hands instead in defeat. “Jesus, Raphael, I don’t know. I don’t know what I&r
People were idiots. Given the right incentive, Bull knew they’d sell out their families. It just so happened that Gertrude McFadden, volunteer at the information desk of the hospital, was in dire need of a new tire for her car. How did Bull know this? Well, he’d done some research and found out the name of said volunteer on duty. He watched her arrive for her shift and slashed one of them for her. Then, he walked into the hospital and up to the information desk, with a wig, mustache, and false teeth as a disguise. He poured on the charm he never knew he had.“Excuse me, ma’am. I parked next to a car in the lot out front and noticed one of the tires is slashed. I wrote down the license plate number. I thought maybe you could get the word out to whoever owns the vehicle. Here it is.” Bull handed the slip of paper to her.“Why thank you, sir. How kind of you to take time out to do this. Let me take a look here and I’ll…. Wa
“Serena, sweetheart. I’m here. You’re safe.” He could see her squinting and blinking, her eyes trying to find something to focus on and coming up empty. Being an angel, he had no trouble seeing in darkness. Right now, he didn’t see his goddess. He saw a broken woman holding onto a tenuous thread of sanity.“Raphael?” Serena gasped and reached out, groping the air for him. It’s one thing to show bravado in the daylight, but now he knew her to be a fraud. And in the darkness he could see how terribly vulnerable she really felt.“Raphael, help me, please,” she whispered franticly, swiping fruitlessly at her tears. “I’m so frightened! He’s coming for me, I know it. They’re all coming for me, and I’m going to die. Oh God, Raphael, I don’t want to die!”Promises be damned, Raphael went to her quickly and enveloped her in his arms of pure angelic power and strength. She clung to him with a viselike grip, her cheeks soaked with tears, her body trembling furiously. He kissed her hair, sending
Not until midmorning did Raphael and Serena finally make their way back to the safe house.“Emma will be coming by later,” he told her while he prepared for the return trip. He set her carefully in the car and closed the door. “She’s our Great Savior Mother. She can heal you, and you’ll be right as rain again.” He jumped in his side, and they were off.“Okay. But you’ve told me you’re a Savior, and you said that Saviors heal people. Why don’t you heal me?”She had been trying to absorb everything he’d been telling her all morning, but it was a daunting task, to let go of all she thought she knew to be true of this world and simply accept another truth in its place.There were angels on earth! They were here to fight against evil and protect and heal the human race. Raphael was one of ten immortals, called the Brethren. For the purposes of blending in with society, most had regular job
Raphael quickly escorted her to the couch. He feels so good, so solid with his arms strong around my waist. The mere touch of his hand gave her the confidence she needed to maintain her composure, as though it was normal to have angels and immortals as friends.But how did one carry on a regular conversation? What did one say exactly? So, how long have you been immortal? Who’ve been your picks for the Super Bowl since…its inception? Lord, but she didn’t have a clue. Things were different with Raphael; they already had a connection, but the others…. She looked at him and squeezed his hand. He gave her a smile that numbed her fears and warmed her heart.“Relax, sweetheart. I know what you’re thinking. But we’re people, too, with normal lives, as you can see. Forget about what we are for now and concentrate on who we are. We’re people with family and friends and jobs, and we’re here to help you.”“
Just as the dust devils whirled harmlessly over the desert, so too did the D’Angelo family and Gabriel gather themselves up and head out by late afternoon. Serena took to walking about outside. She saw Raphael coming toward her with purpose in his steps. He didn’t look pleased. Her heartbeat instantly quickened, and not from watching his lithe form approach her either. She spoke first to quell the uneasiness growing inside her, as though it would give her the courage to face whatever he had to throw at her.“I was beginning to wonder where you’d run off to, leaving me to fend off the coyotes and snakes all on my own,” Serena admonished.“Oh, knowing what you do for a living, I figured you’d have them coyotes and rattlers running scared the minute they saw you, darlin’,” he joked. More sincerely he continued, “Thought I’d give you some time and space after spending time with the craziness that is the D&rs
There were men after her, bad men, men who wanted her and a man who wanted her dead. But now there was also Raphael, a good man, staring anxiously at her, with those eyes of the most curious blue. And he spoke from those lips that had set fire to her own. Did he just say something about being alive? Alive. She didn’t feel alive. She felt numb, empty.“Alive,” she whispered. “I’m alive.”“Yes, that’s right,” he encouraged. “You’re alive.”“Jared’s dead, and I’m alive,” she droned. “Why am I still alive? I should be dead, too. I should be dead….” She cocked her head, perplexed.“Serena, you’re alive because that’s the way it should be. Come on. Let’s get you off the ground and inside. I’ll get you some tea and we’ll talk.” He lifted her off the tiny stones surrounding the bench.“Yes, tea s
Her heart leapt to her throat at the stunning realization.“But why, Raphael? Why does he need me? What can I possibly do for him?”“Maybe he’s ill. Maybe he thinks you can heal him.” He rubbed his temples with his fingers.“You can’t be serious. With all the doctors and hospitals in the world, you mean to tell me he’s decided I can heal him? That’s crazy!”“I’m only guessing here, but it seems to make sense, in a twisted way, that if you look like the statue, maybe you could do what he thinks the statue can do. I don’t know. It’s just a thought, and a troubling one at that.”“So, now I possibly know why Dr. Crazy is after me. I can work with that. But Bull, he still presents a big problem. What am I going to do about him?”“First, you need to stop saying ‘I’ and ‘me’. We’re in this together, Serena. Don’t think for one minute I’m going to let you go or do anything on your own. Plus, we’ve got the other Brethren backing us up if we need them. So don’t worry about Bull. The Brethren wi