Angel's Demon

19. Visitors

19. Visitors

We lay on the grass, quite naked, enjoying the sunshine and each other. Danny held me close to his chest and kissed the top of my head. I felt warm, safe and secure. We had found peace, at last, after much heartache and feelings of guilt.

I wriggled out of his embrace and propped myself on one elbow, so I could look into his eyes. They were such a gorgeous shade of sapphire blue. I had lost myself in their depths on many occasions. Danny smiled at me, and I leaned in to kiss him, a long, lingering passionate kiss. My body was weak, mere flesh and blood, yet my mind was in agreement with what it needed. I let my free hand wander lightly over the firm and toned flesh of his body. It was times like these that I never wanted the moment to end.

Danny sensed a presence before I did. I hadn’t felt the need to be on guard for months now. It was cause for concern, knowing that an unknown someone, or something, was here, unannounced. My body responded accordingly, ready to fight, not flee. Within moments we were clothed and standing, ready for whatever may be coming. We waited to see if they would penetrate the ward that we’d recently placed around the clearing. Anyone who hadn’t been here before would become disoriented, start to feel nauseous and eventually turn around, bewildered and confused, not sure why they were here in the first place.

Danny headed towards the edge of the clearing — they were that close to finding us — and returned with three young people. They didn’t look like hikers to me. Not one of them was properly equipped for a long trek. Why they’d come this deep into the forest, with very little in the way of supplies, by the looks of things, was anyone’s guess. And why hadn’t our deterrent worked? I’d seen it in action twice before and had been confident that it would.

There was something strangely familiar about them. They were mortal — I could tell that from their scent — so what then? I would have recognised them in an instant if I’d met them before.

I gestured for Danny to come over to me for a private word. I had little to fear from mortals, yet that odd feeling of familiarity made me nervous. I had no idea what it meant.

When Danny stopped in front of me, I shuffled him off to the side and whispered, “Is there something familiar about them?”

He looked over his shoulder at the three of them. They were huddled together, apparently having their own private conversation, yet I couldn’t hear them.

“No,” Danny whispered back.

“I feel like I know them somehow, but I don’t. I haven’t met them before.”

“Perhaps you met them when Amy …” Danny let the words trail off. That was one part of our lives both of us would rather forget, even though we couldn’t. Sure, the memories could be pushed aside, but every now and again one would bubble to the surface to be relived, clinically analysed — Danny had said to try and look at some memories as though they belonged to someone else — and pushed aside again. “I’m sure we’ll have some answers soon enough.”

I nodded, and together we turned to face our visitors. They raised their heads and looked towards us. I could see the resolve on their faces, but resolve for what?

“Why are you here?” Danny asked.

One of the males nodded in my direction. “We came looking for Helena.”

Danny’s body stiffened. Three mortals had come looking for me and succeeded in their quest. Why would they be looking for me anyway? I didn’t know them.

“Don’t you know how dangerous this forest is?” I asked.

“Yeah, we met someone claiming to be a vampire about three hours ago,” the same male replied. “You meet nutjobs everywhere these days.”

“And this nutjob let you go, just like that?” I asked in disbelief. Usually anyone who ventured in these parts was detained for questioning and had their memories altered, prior to release. On the odd occasion one was allowed to stay, if they wanted to.

He shrugged his shoulders. “We’re here aren’t we? When we told him who we were looking for, he waved us on, and wished us good hunting.”

I’d have to have a word to Drake, or Marcus, if Drake was at Gorema. He’d been spending a lot of time at his mansion hideaway. I hadn’t seen him in almost a year. Things hadn’t been the same since Amy.

“I don’t know any of you. Why are you looking for me?”

“Because of Gina.”

Gina, our daughter, had been dead for eighteen years. These three would have been children when Gina had ventured out into the mortal world.

“What are your names?” I asked.

“I’m Kyle,” the man who’d been doing all the talking so far said. He pointed to each of his companions in turn. “This is Gesthimani and this is Jake.”

I didn’t think Gesthimani was a common name in Australia. Anyone could have found out the names of the children Gina had saved though. A trap perhaps, or could it be that these really were three of the children Gina had saved? They were about the right age, yet I needed to be certain.

“Do you know a Janet, Marty and Jennifer?” I asked. Janet and Jennifer were not the names of children Gina had saved. I was testing them.

“You know that Janet and Jennifer aren’t angel followers,” Jake snorted. “Do we have to recite all of their names for you to believe us?”

“Don’t get snarky, Jake,” Gesthimani replied. “Little Mother, that’s what Gina called you.”

Maybe they were who they said they were. I walked slowly towards them, almost casual. I didn’t want to frighten them. I smiled at Kyle before leaning in close and breathing deeply through my nose. There it was … I did the same to Jake and Gesthimani, to be certain. I knew now why they seemed familiar. A part of Gina resided in each of them.

“I know why —”

“That tickles,” Gesthimani laughed, cutting me off mid-sentence and scratching her neck where I had gently nuzzled her. “Gina told us that we had to help you, when the time came.”

For a moment the realisation of what I’d found was pushed to the side. “What do you mean, help me?” I was perplexed as to why Gina thought I would need the help of a group of mortals. “Why would I need your help?”

“We don’t know why, only that we were to help, and we’d know when.”

“So you’re saying I need help?”

“Not exactly …”

“Don’t you watch the news?” Kyle asked. “There have been close to a hundred murders recently.”

Murders happened all the time. They were delusional if they thought I had anything to do with them. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Authorities haven’t made the connection yet. Every one of the victims had met, or claimed to have met, Gina. My mum didn’t want me to go on this trip. She was worried I might be targeted. She said it was the same people who killed Gina.

“They haven’t made it to Australia yet. It’s only a matter of time, and if we’re killed, we can’t fulfil our promise to Gina. Protect Little Mother, when the time comes.”

“Protect me from what?” I asked, frustration creeping into my voice. What had been going through Gina’s mind? There was nothing in the memories she’d gifted me of her time on earth that explained any of this. She had healed the children and left. Nothing more, nothing less.

“Perhaps we should retire to the house,” Danny suggested. “We can sit down, have something to eat and drink — you three look like you need some nourishment — then continue this conversation.”

I turned on my heel and stormed off to the cottage. Danny was nearly always the cool and calm one, when it came to unusual happenings. I just wanted to rip the thoughts from their minds to learn exactly what was going on, without the need for endless hours of conversation. I didn’t like surprises.

A platter of fruit, cheese and cold meat, along with a jug of iced water appeared on the coffee table as I sat on the couch. Another couch appeared opposite me — us versus them.

Gina’s children helped themselves to some food and a drink before sitting down, plates on laps, to eat and answer questions.

Danny sat next to me and took my hand in his. He gently stroked the back of my hand with his free hand. It was a soothing motion. I knew he was trying to calm me down.

“Thank you for the food,” Gesthimani said. “We’ve been living on crackers and beef jerky for the past two days. I’ve never had beef jerky before.”

“First things first. How did you find us?” Danny asked.

“The pull,” Kyle replied.

“Excuse me?” I said.

Kyle took a deep breath and looked at the ceiling before replying. Was he remembering words that had been rehearsed in advance? “Well, we triangulated your position as best as we could, and then slowly worked our way outwards from a central point, in a wider arc with each sweep, until we found you.”

“Technically we found you,” I said.

“We would have found you in the next arc. We were only a few metres out.”

Kyle wasn’t making any sense at all. There was only one person who could find me if he wanted to, and that was through our blood connection and the leather wristband I could see him wearing.

“What do you mean, you triangulated my position? No one knows my comings and goings, except maybe Danny.”

“I’m better at writing than talking,” Kyle said sheepishly. “Things that make sense to me out loud don’t often make sense to other people.”

I laughed. It was the first thing he’d said that did make sense. I could be just as bad.

“Would you let me see?”

“Huh?” Kyle was as confused as me.

“Sorry, I suffer from the same thing, except I suck at the written word as well,” I said with a smile. They laughed at me, and so did Danny. I elbowed him gently in the ribs. “You’re not supposed to laugh. You should be used to me putting both feet in my mouth.”

Danny leaned forward and whispered to our guests, “She’s pig-headed as well.”

I rolled my eyes. He never missed an opportunity to mention that. “I can draw out the memories, to see for myself, with or without your permission.”

The glass Gesthimani was holding slipped from her hand, bounced off her thigh and fell to the floor. It smashed, dozens of pieces of glass sliding across the floor in all directions. The water spread out to form a puddle. I could see the look of horror on the face of the young woman sitting across from me and realised it was my fault.

I held up my hands in a placating manner. “Sorry, that didn’t come out the way I meant. I wouldn’t look into your minds without your permission, unless you were evil, in which case it’s perfectly fine to gain intelligence by any means.”

Gesthimani was quite pale and seemed to be in a state of shock. She looked down at the floor.

“Do something, Danny,” I whispered out the side of my mouth.

He looked at Gesthimani, smiled and in a calm voice said, “All is well.”

Gesthimani blinked before turning to look at Danny. The colour was returning to her face and she seemed quite at peace. She nodded her head. “You have the gift as well.”

“What gift?” I asked.

“To calm others,” she replied. “It’s something I’ve been able to do for as long as I can remember.”

Gesthimani got to her feet. “I’m sorry. I’ve made a mess. Do you have something I can clean it up with?”

“There is no need,” Danny said reassuringly. “It’s done.”

The glass appeared on the table, full of cool, fresh water. Nothing of the mishap remained on the floor.

Kyle gave a low whistle. “Matt would love that.”

“Matt was the one with the magician’s hat,” I said, recalling a young boy from Gina’s memories, asking her to do a trick.

Kyle nodded and held out his hand. “You can look in my head, if that’s what you need to do.”

Danny laughed. “It doesn’t work quite like that.”

“Will it hurt?”

I stood up and walked to the other side of the coffee table, and sat down on it, directly in front of Kyle.

“No, it won’t hurt, not if you give me your permission.”

He nodded again. I leaned in closer and put one hand over his heart. “Think of Gina, and only Gina. The memories will come to me.”

I placed my other hand on his forehead and prepared myself for a rush of memories to fill my mind. It was over in a matter of seconds. I let my hands slip from Kyle’s body as the jumble of memories sorted themselves out, ready for viewing. Threads drifted to the surface — a memory of Gina, a head full of confused and scared voices and dead bodies. I shook my head, trying to get the memories in line. The voices were predominant. Each voice had a name and …

“You’re telepathic, all of you,” I said, astonished. “Do you hear my thoughts as well? Is that how you found us?”

Gesthimani turned to Kyle. He seemed to be in a blissful sleep. “Is that normal?”

“Are any of you normal?” I asked, knowing what the reply was going to be.

“I guess not. He’s not hurt though, is he?”

I shook my head. “No, he’s not hurt. Anyway, about the telepathy.”

“No, we can’t hear your thoughts. The angel followers can hear each other’s thoughts, but no one else’s.”

“Angel followers?” Danny asked.

“Everything for us points to angels. We had one angel we had to find. We followed the signs, the pull, to find that angel.”

“I’m no angel.”

“Helena, you’re splitting hairs,” Danny said.

“You guys have no idea what I am.”

“Then tell us,” Gesthimani implored. “The more we know, the better equipped we’ll be to help you.”

“I drink blood. I’m not pure-blood angel. A vampire tried to take my life when I was mortal.” I saw the bewildered look on their faces. “Only I wasn’t mortal. Look, it’s a long story, best saved for another time. What’s this pull you mentioned?”

“It’s a feeling here,” Gesthimani pointed to her chest, “and it might be straight ahead, as it is now, or some other direction, depending on where you are. A few days ago it felt like it was underground, directly beneath us, though we had no way of getting to you if you were below us.”

Marcus had asked me to meet him, to discuss the possibility of my assisting with the training of new recruits. That was two days ago. I’d ventured down into the familiar subterranean tunnels to give him my answer — no. Drake was still at Gorema, so it seemed. I’d hoped to see him, and that was the only reason I’d gone there personally. It had been almost a year since Drake and I had last met. As much as I hated to admit it, I missed him. Did he still feel the same way about me? Probably not. He would have come sniffing around months ago, to see if I’d changed my mind about Danny — was I sick of the angel yet?

“—and when we put two and two together, we knew everyone was in danger, including you two.” Gesthimani nodded at Danny and me. I hadn’t been paying attention.

“It’s getting late,” Danny said. I knew that he wanted me to share the memories I’d gleaned, so we could discuss the situation further, in private. “Would you prefer to sleep under the stars, or under a roof?”

“Roof, please,” Jake said, a little too quickly.

Kyle was snoring softly. He’d be able to sleep anywhere. Gesthimani shrugged her shoulders. She didn’t care. I knew they’d been roughing it for a couple of weeks. I was sure she’d appreciate a hot shower and soft bed. I remembered every detail of the little home I wanted to recreate for them. They were her children after all. Gina would have liked that.

“It’s okay, Danny,” I said. “Their accommodation is all set. You take Kyle and the other two can follow me.”

Danny glanced out the window and saw a small cottage appear. With the exception of the bed — I’d replaced one bed with three singles — it was exactly as she had left it. All her treasured belongings were there — feathers, flowers, a crystal daisy chain, family photos, assorted knick-knacks and hand-crafted gifts from Drake. I thought it would be nice for her children to get to know the Gina we had known.

I stood up and headed towards the door. Gesthimani and Jake followed me. They stopped as we reached the door, turning back to look at their sleeping companion. Danny had gathered him in his arms — I could see the muscles in his arms flex, and something within me stirred — take four steps and disappear.

Jake ran back to the couch, yelling. “What have you done with him?”

“If you come with me, you’ll see.”

Both of them hesitated. How did I feel the first time I’d seen someone disappear? When I’d seen Danny disappear into thin air, the first time we met, I was freaked out. I was weak from my ordeal and confused. Yeah, it wasn’t surprising that they were reluctant to follow me.

“Danny’s put him to bed.” I’d show them how it was done. That would put their minds at ease. I held out my hands. “Take my hands. I’ll show you.”

Gesthimani slipped her hand into mine. Jake still wasn’t sure. “We have to trust each other, starting now.”

Jake nodded his head and slowly walked back to where we stood. He wiped his hand on his pants before taking my hand into his. It was still clammy.

“Are you ready?” I asked. They both nodded. “Whatever you do, don’t let go. Do you understand?” They nodded again. “I do it a little differently. On the count of three. One, two, three …”

We were in the lights. I took a moment to glance at each of them and smiled at the reaction on their faces. It was an amazing experience, and so that they weren’t completely overwhelmed, I’d decided on an oil slick of pastel colours for the lights, and soothing background music to play. No grand fanfare for me.

“Wow,” Jake said. I could feel his hand wriggling in mine. It was no longer clammy — drenched would have been a better word. I tightened my grip on him.

“Don’t let go,” I reminded them.

“Where are we?” Gesthimani asked.

“In a taxi, of sorts. This will take us to our destination. Once we step into the lights we can go anywhere and arrive in an instant. Sometimes I’ll take my time and enjoy the journey.”

Gesthimani leaned forwards and peered at Jake. He turned to look at her. They shared something between each other, then nodded. She straightened up again. “Where are you taking us?”

“About thirty metres from our departure point. We could have walked.”

“Then why this way?” she asked.

“To allay your fears.”

The lights around us disappeared and we found ourselves standing inside the front door of the home I had created for them. Danny was sitting on the bed next to a sleeping Kyle, going through a box of photos. He laughed and held one up. It was of him, wearing tights. I smiled. He knew perfectly well that I remembered that day.

“Now we know why you could move so fast,” Jake said, flopping down on the closest bed unceremoniously.

“I’m a fast runner as well,” I told him.

He sat up. I’d captured his interest. “No kidding? I was in training for the next Olympics, fifteen hundred metres.”

“We can go for a run tomorrow if you like.”

“Helena,” Danny cautioned me.

“It’s okay, I’ll go easy on him.”

“No way a girl is going to beat me,” Jake said, puffing out his chest. “My best time is just under three minutes forty-five.”

A girl? Was he referring to my age, or gender?

“How old do you think I am?”

“About twenty —” he scratched his head, mid-sentence. “Oh yeah, you’re right, she’s older than she looks.”

They were talking to each other. I knew it.

“Old enough to be your grandmother,” I replied tartly.

Danny was standing next to me, his hand resting gently on my elbow. I was so busy puffing out my own chest — stupid, stupid, Helena, he’s only mortal — I hadn’t noticed him move.

“There are fresh towels in the bathroom,” Danny said as he steered me to the front door. “I’m sure you have a lot to discuss before you turn in for the night, as do we.”