And things started off so well, too...
Update: Thanks to Ann's Krazy Obsession for checking my Italian for me! I went back and fixed what was mistranslated.
Chapter One
I wrapped my arms around Nora, content. We were watching the fireworks out on Delphic Beach, and it was clear that she was delighted with them. She had a warm smile on her face, eyes happy, and I grinned down at her. Unbeknownst to her, I'd wrapped my wings around us when we'd stood back to watch the sky. She'd relaxed immediately, unconsciously knowing she was safe.
We'd been having such a good summer. After the incident in April, Nora had become much more trusting of me. She should; I was her own guardian angel. It made protecting her that much easier. It also made loving her that much easier. I'd gotten a little more used to the idea that I couldn't feel her, but the fact that she wanted to be near me softened the blow. I couldn't imagine going back to when she wouldn't even acknowledge that she felt something for me, and it only made me more grateful that she was in my arms now.
Nora's stomach grumbled, and she looked down. I retracted my wings, knowing that she'd probably need something to eat.
"I'm going to grab a cheeseburger. Want anything?" She asked.
I couldn't help it; she just looked so delectable all of the time. "Nothing on the menu."
She grinned. "Why, Patch, are you flirting with me?"
I kissed her head. At one time, she would have shrugged that comment off, denying it. "Not yet. I'll grab your cheeseburger. Enjoy the last of the fireworks." I couldn't see any real trouble for her in the future, but I still wanted her to have fun. She tugged on my belt loop, stopping me.
"Thanks, but I'm ordering. I can't take the guilt." She said, rolling her eyes.
Guilt? I rose my eyebrows.
"When was the last time the girl at the hamburger stand let you pay for food?"
"It's been a while." It'd been a fluke; more of a misplaced mindtrick than anything; that had forced the poor hamburger girl to give me free food all the time. Why don't you just give him free food forever? Rixon had teased her when she'd given me free fries for being pleasant. Not even nice, just pleasant! It was a little annoying, but I didn't mind free food so I'd never stopped it.
"It's been never. Stay here. If she sees you, I'll spend the rest of the night with a guilty conscience."
Smirking, I pulled out a twenty. "Leave her a nice tip."
Mimicking me, she rose her eyebrows. "Trying to redeem yourself for all those times you took free food?"
"Last time I paid, she chased me down and shoved the money in my pocket. I'm trying to avoid another groping." The last time I'd paid, which had been the first and only time I'd paid. Another reason I never paid. Nora's eyes thinned, but then she smirked as she decided she believed me. Turning, she walked away. My eyes followed her as she went to the stand.
"Aye!"
I turned to the sound of Rixon strolling up. I smiled, but it was with a slight grain of salt. I'd had odd mixed feelings about him since the night I'd shown him my wings. I loved my friend, but something wasn't right. I'd never sensed it before now. It had to be my new instincts, but I couldn't figure out for the life of me why they were connected to Rixon. My thoughts strayed to the last vision I'd had; the screaming man and the gunshots. Coming directly out and asking him might interfere with the connection, and I didn't want him to know that I was suspicious.
"How was your date with Vee?" I asked, hugging him. I wanted to keep a closer eye on him and watch how he acted around Nora. There was no normal, safe way to do that, so I set him up with Vee. Call it "double dating".
"Oh man, she's a real sight on the eyes! Not sure why I haven't seen her around before. Beautiful, sassy, and more than enough love for a man to grasp!"
I grimaced. "Right. O-kay."
"So, what you doing? Nora ditch you for the night?"
"Ha ha. I'm waiting for her to get herself something to eat."
He snickered. "Oh boy. Hamburger girl? Avoiding another takedown, I see."
I rolled my eyes. "Whatever." I felt a wave of distress coming from Nora's direction. I turned towards it, concerned. "Nora's upset. I have to go get her."
When I turned back to Rixon, I saw a flicker of annoyance in his eyes.
"Dude, she's probably just spilled her fries or something. If it were life-threatening, you would know."
I was thrown by his statement, and how nonchalant he was about it. 'You would know.' Seeing my expression, he rolled his eyes. "Come on. Nora's fine. Here, get her a teddy bear or something sweet. She'll warm right back up."
I didn't sense any threats, and I wanted to investigate Rixon a little more. "Fine." We walked up to the booth where a man was lining up weighted pins. The man was average, and didn't seem to notice that Rixon and I were any different than any of the other people coming to the booth.
"Knock down all the pins in two goes, and win one of the grand prizes!" he cried.
The middle pin is weighted, Rixon noted. The prat doesn't think you can knock it down.
I was already on his wavelength. He thought wrong today. He's lucky. Normally we'd show him what we do with cheats.
Rixon grinned.
"I'll play." I said, giving the man some money. Grinning, he handed me three balls and stood back. A small group of onlookers watched, cynical. Clearly the beach was catching on to his scam. Hamming it up a bit, I seemed to focus intensely on the pins when I pitched the ball. All but three fell.
"Five dollars says you can't do it again."
I turned around and grinned, relieved she was back. "I don't want your money, Angel."
"Hey now, kids, let's keep this discussion PG-rated." Rixon teased. I was glad I was playing for a bear; I could sense both with my power and care that something was wrong. She was smiling…but her face was flushed.
"All three remaining pins." She challenged. She didn't want me to know why she was upset, then.
"What kind of prize are we talking about?"
"Bloody hell, can't this wait until you're alone?" Rixon groaned. Yes, yes it could. I had a momentary flashback to when Nora was holding her bat, ready to swing. See if you could knock this pitch out of the park, Angel. Smiling, I pitched the ball, knocking both the regular pins and the weighted pin right off of the table.
The onlookers applauded, clearly happy that someone had beat the man at his own game.
"Aye, now you're in trouble, lass." Rixon told her over the commotion. I simply turned and looked her in her eyes, raising mine. Oh, I couldn't wait for the reward I was going to get.
She pouted. "You got lucky."
Why did she make it so easy all the time? "I'm about to get lucky."
"Choose a prize!" the man hissed, angry at his failed set up.
"The purple bear," I told him. It was hideous, purple and windblown and clearly a reject. Just like she liked.
"For me?" she simpered, holding her hand to her heart.
"You like the rejects." That's why I'm so perfect for you. High quality, right from Heaven. "At the grocery store, you always take the dented cans. I've been paying attention." I placed a finger in her waistband and yanked her close. "Let's get out of here." I want my reward now.
"What did you have in mind?" she asked, her voice husky. Oh, she knew.
"Your place." Her mother worked out of town, and I couldn't have asked for a better situation. No one to bother us, and no reason to muffle any sound. Absolutely wonderful.
She shook her head. "Not going to happen. My mom's home. We could go to your place." Her eyes widened with her not so subtle hint, and while I would kill for those eyes, they weren't getting anywhere near my studio. Or Delphic. For one, I was worried that with my new 'status', jealous Fallen might try something, and I didn't want her in any of that. I also kept getting this feeling that Delphic wasn't safe for her. I felt it again, a sickening sense of dread at the idea. For whatever reason that I couldn't yet decipher, she didn't need to be there. Nora's eyes fell at my non-answer.
"Let me guess. You live in a secret compound buried in the underbelly of the city."
Hah! Got your ass, didn't she? Rixon joked, hiding his laughter behind his hands. I tried to hold back my grin.
"Angel." Stop prying.
She wouldn't. "Are there dishes in the sink? Dirty underwear on the floor? It's a lot more private than my place."
"True, but the answer's still no."
She turned to Rixon, and back to me. "Has Rixon seen your place?"
"Rixon is need to know."
"I'm not need to know?"
You don't want to be. "There's a dark side to need to know?" Rixon could handle a fight if one went down; Nora- not so much.
"If you showed me, you'd have to kill me?"
I wrapped my arm around her, kissing her. She was so amusing. "Close enough. What time's curfew?"
"Ten. Summer school starts tomorrow." Her tone suggested that she was irritated at the set time. Blythe had been going out of her way to separate the two of us. While I was tempted to mindtrick her into leaving us be, I knew that Nora wouldn't like it. That was still her mother. I checked my watch. Fifteen to ten.
"Time to roll."
When I pulled up to her house, I was four minutes late. Not that it meant anything to me, but Nora was a good kid and I didn't want her to deal with Blythe breathing down her neck. Still, there was something I wanted to address. Nora normally chatted the entire car ride to anywhere now that she was comfortable with me. Tonight she'd been silent. Something was up; something from earlier tonight.
"Why so quiet, Angel?"
She gasped and looked at me. "Am I being quiet? Just lost in thought." Jaw twitch; classic Nora.
"Liar. What's wrong?"
"You're good."
My smile curved. "Really good."
She sat quietly again. "I ran into Marcie Millar at the hamburger stand. She was thoughtful enough to remind me my dad is dead."
Wow. What a bitch. "Want me to talk to her?" My job was to keep Nora happy; maybe a good scare would stop Marcie from tormenting her.
"That sounds a bit The Godfather."
Making her an offer she couldn't refuse; I could see it. "What started the war between the two of you?"
Nora turned, clearly passionate about the topic. "That's the thing. I don't even know. It used to be over who got the last chocolate milk in the lunch crate. Then one day in junior high, Marcie marched into school and spray-painted "whore" on my locker. She didn't even try to be sneaky about it. The whole school was looking on."
"She went postal just like that? No reason?" There were words to describe Nora, but 'whore' was never one of them.
"Yup."
I tucked one of her stray curls behind her ear, making her smile. "Who's winning the war?"
"Marcie, but not by much." She sounded so determined that I smiled.
"Go get her, Tiger."
Pushed on by my encouragement, she kept going. "And here's another thing. Whore? I hadn't even kissed anyone. Marcie should have spray-painted her own locker."
She seemed to have this under control. It was a petty girl squabble; she'd grow out of it.
"Starting to sound like you've got a hang up, Angel." I placed my finger under her shirt strap, already over hearing about Marcie Millar. "I bet I can take your mind off Marcie."
I let the challenge soak in the air. Nora looked at the farmhouse, wary, and then turned and leaned over the console to kiss me. I kissed her slowly, then moved down to her throat with first my lips, then opening my mouth to suck. Hearing her gasp only excited me more, so I continued down to her shoulder, pushing the strap out of the way. Surprising me, she crawled over the console and pressed herself to me. I wrapped my arms around her waist, wanting her even closer. Mine.
Her hands slid down my back, and I noted her start to release me and loosen. Sneaky girl was trying to touch my wings. I quickly grabbed her hand and moved it down to my side.
"Nice try." I whispered. She bit my bottom lip, pouting.
"If you could see into my past just by touching my back, you'd have a hard time resisting the temptation too."
"I have a hard time keeping my hands off you without that added bonus." I teased.
She chuckled, but her eyes became serious. She grabbed my shirt and pulled me close.
"Don't ever leave me."
Can't imagine ever wanting to. "You're mine, Angel. You have me forever." I murmured, still distracted by the heat between us.
"Show me you mean it."
I leaned back and looked her in her face. She was extremely serious. What could I give her? What did I have that would mean anything? My thoughts strayed to my necklace. My Archangel's chain; the only thing tying me to my past; my home; my stature and dignity. It was the only thing I'd had from day one, that I'd never let go of. I reached behind my neck and unclipped it. I'd never let go of the necklace, and I'd never let go of Nora.
"I was given this as an archangel. To help me discern truth from deception."
She touched it, amazed. "Does it still work?"
"Not for me." If only. I grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles. "Your turn."
She quickly took a ring off of her finger and handed it to me. I observed it. There was a small heart engraved on the inside. My trust, for her heart. I choked up, just a little.
"My dad gave it to me the week before he was killed." She said quietly.
And just like that, I didn't think I deserved it.
"I can't take this."
She ignored me. "It's the most important thing in the world to me. I want you to have it." She folded my hand around it.
"Nora." I was suddenly afraid. I didn't want to let her down, not after this. I also had a bad feeling growing in my chest. "I can't take this."
"Promise me you'll keep it. Promise me nothing will ever come between us." She looked me in my eyes, not allowing me to move. "I don't want to be without you. I don't want this to ever end."
I looked down at the ring in my hand. I wanted so much to promise, but doubt stopped me. I didn't want to fail her, and I certainly had no plan to. But if she ever asked for this ring back; if she ever took her heart back…I could remember only one situation where a guardian had fallen in love, and it hadn't ended well. For either of them.
"Swear you'll never stop loving me." She whispered.
That I can swear. When I looked into her eyes, I saw so much trust and love. I couldn't say no. I refused to say no. I'd make it work, no matter what. But I still had the feeling, one that I got when I felt like I was making an empty promise. I nodded, and she pressed her lips to mine. She held me there until she ran out of air.
"I love you. More than I think I should."
Suddenly, I had a sharp vision. We're coming. Something, somebody, was coming. And their feelings weren't benevolent. I turned towards the woods, trying to see if whatever it was happened to be within distance. No, not yet. I tightened my arms around Nora.
"What's wrong?"
"I heard something," I said, still looking out.
"That was me saying I love you." Nora replied, still blissful. I still stared into the trees. Finally she followed my gaze.
"What's out there? A coyote?" she asked.
"Something isn't right." Whatever was coming wasn't coming for Nora. It wasn't my instincts for her reacting, it was my instincts for me. Nora began to talk, but I wasn't listening. Whoever was coming, they had enough power to let me know that they were coming before they showed up, and were going for intimidation. Businesslike; not here to harm me, but not happy to see me. Archangels. Damn it!
"What is it? My mom's coming out. Is she safe?"
Is she safe? Was Nora safe? Safer at home than with me right now. I turned the Jeep on.
"Go inside. There's something I need to do."
"Go inside? Are you kidding? What's going on? Patch?"
"I'll call you later." I was rushing her; she needed to get out so I could get them far away from her as possible. I didn't want a scene to go down in front of her. Blythe stormed to the car and threw the door open.
"Patch."
"Blythe."
I didn't have time for them and their little argument. Finally Nora stepped out. "Call me."
I nodded. The moment she closed the door, I hightailed it out of the driveway. As I sped away, I realized that Nora had said she loved me. Three words, spoken out loud, and then they decide to make an entrance. It would seem like I had ditched her, not returned her affections. I'd have to make it up later; I felt less like an asshole knowing that I was keeping her safe in exchange.
Finally, I stopped the car on an abandoned road in the woods. They were quickly approaching, and I could only get so far to somewhere so private. Shutting off the car, I stepped out and walked away from it stiffly.
"Allora? Che cos'è che vuoi?" So? What is that you want? I spoke in Italian, sensing them behind me. I was irritated, but I knew better than to be anything other than compliant. I turned and I saw them standing on top of the car.
Seeing that their position placed them higher than me, they smirked.
They were reveling in my submission.
I'm hoping to get the depth of Rixon and Patch's love/hate relationship during this time. As well as the dealings with the Archangels, because I noticed that there are definitely some moments where it's like...'but I thought he couldn't/wasn't allowed to...' I'll come up with some stuff :P Read and review!