Angel Series Books 1-3 Boxed Set

Varakiana-2

“Then why did you come to me and offer what you did, knowing I hated you for all the wrong reasons?” He sounded confused.

“I wanted to dance, I needed to dance. I didn’t think you’d agree unless I could provide you with something you didn’t have. My body was my bargaining chip. It’s not like you declined my offer,” I snorted.

“I never told anyone this, but I was a virgin before you,” he whispered.

“I know.”

“Was it that obvious?” He seemed shocked.

I laughed softly, “Well, yeah!”

David laughed as well. I’d never heard his laugh before and it contained a nervous edge to it, like he could never really let go.

“Well, it was nice catching up and reliving old times,” I said, sliding out of the booth, “but I really must be off.”

“No, wait,” David said. There was something in the urgency with which he said it that made me sit back down.

“I tried finding you, for a couple of years. I wanted to make it up to you — all the wrong that had been done — if I could.” He sounded genuinely sorry for what had happened.

I shrugged my shoulders. “s**t happens.”

“Yeah, it does, but it shouldn’t happen to little kids,” he sighed.

He looked at my hands, tapping the table top again.

“You found someone, hey?” He used his head to indicate I was wearing a ring. “You’re happy now?”

I slid my hands under the table in my lap and twisted the wedding band round on my finger.

“Yeah, I found someone, and I was happy for a time.”

“But not now?” he asked. I shook my head. “What happened?”

“He died.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how that must feel. If my fiancée died, I don’t think I could go on without her.”

“You’re engaged?” I asked.

“Yeah. We’re getting married next year.” His eyes lit up. He was really in love with this woman. I wondered if she knew about his family’s past.

“That’s nice,” I said.

“Say, I’m having lunch with her today. Why don’t you come along?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Please, at least let me buy you lunch and show you that I didn’t turn out to be half as bad as I used to be.”

“Can’t you let it go?” I asked abruptly.

“No, I can’t,” he sighed. “It haunts me day and night. I know I can’t make it right, but can I make peace with you? I promise I’ll never bother you again if that’s what you want.”

I rolled my eyes. Some people just wouldn’t let things rest.

“Fine. What time and where?”

David scrawled the restaurant name and address on a serviette and handed it to me.

“The booking is under my name, for one o’clock.”

“Fine,” I said again, and popped the serviette into my pocket before sliding out of the booth and leaving.

I didn’t look back to see if David was watching me. I kept on walking and didn’t stop until I was back at the hotel.

The same woman was at the front desk, looking even more tired than when I’d left. She handed me my card and I headed up to the room.

I sat on the couch and pulled the serviette out of my pocket — Above the Rise, 350 Lexington. I’d never been there before and wasn’t even sure where it was. I held out my hand and a street directory appeared. I flicked through the Ls until I found Lexington then flicked back to the right page and grid reference. It was about a twenty minute walk from the hotel. I had at least an hour and a half before I needed to leave.

I headed to the bathroom with some of my purchases and put the shampoo, conditioner and soap in the shower, and the body lotions, hand creams and makeup in the vanity drawers and cupboards. The shower was turned on, hot and steamy before I’d even opened the shower door, and my clothes disappeared as I stepped in.

I took my time in the shower and slowly dried myself before styling my hair. I applied a small amount of makeup, so my face looked light and fresh. With a towel still around me I walked to the living room window. There was heat haze in the distance. It was unseasonably warm, so I chose to wear a sleeveless dress with a wrap and flat, open-toed sandals — a respectable woman having lunch with her respectable friends. Hah! That’s funny!

At twelve thirty I packed a few things, including Death, into a small clutch purse, and left to walk at a leisurely pace — taking in the sights — to meet David and his fiancée. I wondered what she’d be like, and couldn’t find any one picture in my mind that seemed a suitable match for him. I didn’t even know why I’d agreed to meet him for lunch. Did I need closure as much as he did? Surely we wouldn’t discuss the sordid details of our past lives in front of his fiancée?

I arrived at Above the Rise five minutes early. David and his fiancée were already there, and they both stood up as I approached the table.

“Helena, I’d like you to meet my fiancée, Kiana. Kiana, Helena and I grew up together.”

She held out her hand and I shook it.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Helena. David talks so little about his past.”

Any wonder, I thought.

Kiana was about my height, with a bit more meat on her bones, long black hair that hung down to her ample breasts and large, brown eyes. She wore a sheer white blouse tied at the waist over a crop top, and three-quarter length pants with sandals.

“It’s nice to meet you, Kiana. That’s a very pretty name.”

“Thanks. It’s kind of a family tradition. The eldest daughter on my father’s side is always called Kiana. I think I’m about the twenty-third Kiana,” she said, rolling her eyes and smiling. Her smile revealed dimpled cheeks.

We sat down, David and Kiana on one side — close together and holding hands — and me, alone, on the other.

“Your family must go back a long way,” I said.

“Yes, they do.”

“Shall we look at the menu?” David asked.

“I’m sorry, I can’t have anything to eat here,” I said. “I’m on a special diet — doctor’s orders.”

“Are you okay?” Kiana asked, sounding concerned.

I brushed aside her concern with a wave of my hand. “Yeah, it’s nothing. Just have to watch what I eat.”

If only you knew the half of it!

“Sorry, I need to go to the ladies,” Kiana said. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

When she turned her back to me I could see, through her sheer blouse, an unusual tattoo on her lower back. Very unusual indeed!

“I think I’ll pay a visit there too,” I said, picking up my purse and following Kiana.

When the door to the ladies closed behind me I quickly checked to see if anyone else was in there — one door was closed. Kiana went into a cubicle and locked the door. I washed my hands, slowly and meticulously. The other lady come out, washed and dried her hands and left. Kiana was still busy, doing whatever it was her kind did.

“I know what you are,” I called out, leaning against the cubicle door.

“What do you mean?” Kiana asked.

“I know you’re not exactly human, or mortal.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she scoffed.

“Don’t play dumb with me. I know what that tattoo on your back is. What did you tell David it was? He must have asked why the scales were raised.”

“It’s just a plain old tattoo with a medical grade plastic implant under the skin to give a raised ridge detail. Pretty fancy, I know, but that’s all it is.”

“Then you won’t mind if I take a closer look?”

“Not at all,” she said and flushed the toilet.

I took a step back and retrieved Death from my purse, holding it behind my back. When Kiana came out I stepped up behind her and held the knife to her throat.

“So this would only cut away flesh, and not remove a varakiana’s scale?”

Her face went white and I thought she was going to throw up. It was all the proof I needed that I was right. I sheathed Death and closed my purse. Her name made perfect sense now — Kiana, short for varakiana.

“How do you know? About what I am, I mean,” she whispered. “It’s such a well-guarded secret. No one has ever lived to tell the tale.”

Did I detect a possible threat? She knew nothing about me — apart from the fact I carried a knife — knew nothing about what I was capable of. Of course, if I was a mortal she’d think she had nothing to fear, possibly that she could even intimidate me.

“I have friends who know about this sort of thing,” I said.

“And what have they told you? That we’re flesh-eating monsters? That humans are our preferred diet?” she asked angrily.

I shrugged my shoulders. “Pretty much.”

“Well they’re wrong. Not all of us are like that. My family prefer to live as mortals. We have adapted and evolved over thousands of years until we no longer crave raw and warm flesh. Admittedly we still have difficulty tolerating most fruits and vegetables — potatoes, tomatoes, apples and bananas are our limit for now and even they taste disgusting.”

“How can I believe you?”

“David’s still alive isn’t he? Listen, he’ll be getting worried if we don’t get back to the table soon. Please, don’t say anything to him.”

“You and I still need to talk. Does David have to go back to work after lunch?” She nodded. “And you.”

“I don’t work.”

“Good, then you won’t mind telling David that you’d like to show me around, seeing as I haven’t been in town for the last five years,” that was a lie, but he wouldn’t know, “to show me what’s changed.”

“Okay, but please, we need to go back to the table.”

I nodded my head and we both headed out. Kiana’s face was a mask of serenity. It was as if our exchange had never taken place.

David talked about what he was doing now, how they hoped to have a family in the next few years — could they do that? — and how he’d like to move away from the city to the country.

He asked how I met my husband — at the airport of all places, he rescued me from a mugger — what he’d done — he’d been an overseas consultant, an attaché to the ambassador in Afghanistan and had moved through the ranks to become a highly-sought liaison between warring factions of different countries — and how he’d died — a meeting gone horribly wrong.

It was easy to lie, so much easier than telling the truth. The truth only opened a painful and raw, festering wound, one which was consuming me at an alarming rate.

“David, I thought I might show Helena how much the city has changed since she was last here. You don’t mind do you?”

“No, Kiana. I think that’s a great idea, provided Helena has no objections.”

“Actually, it was Helena who suggested it,” she said.

David picked up the bill and stood. “Well I’ve got to get back to work. You two have fun and I’ll see you,” he kissed Kiana on the top of the head, “tonight.”

When he’d left Kiana stood up, expecting me to do the same.

“Sit down,” I said. “We can talk here just as well as any other place. Are you really going to go through with this charade, or will you dump him at the altar?”

“You don’t understand. We’re different. We’ve chosen a different path and want to live in peace. Okay, so I can’t have children, but we can adopt.”

“How many of you are there?”

“A dozen.”

“Why?” I asked.

Kiana seemed puzzled. “Why what?”

“Why marry a mortal? He’ll grow old and die. You won’t.”

She sighed. “I love him dearly. Haven’t you ever loved someone you know you shouldn’t, someone who was too good for you? I know he’ll die eventually, but I can’t live without him.”

I knew exactly what she meant. Danny was dead because of me and my selfish love for him. How could I deny her what I couldn’t deny myself?

I took a deep breath. “Kiana, I’m going to offer you a once-in-a-lifetime deal.”

She leaned back in the chair and folded her arms across her chest. “Go on, I’m listening.”

“I’m going to let you and your family live for as long as you can continue to keep your diet in check.”

“Who do you —”

I held up a hand to stop her from saying any more. I picked up the glass of water that was still on the table and concentrated on it. Ice crystals formed on the inside of the glass as the water froze to a solid block. I set the glass down on the table and pushed it over to Kiana.

She tapped the cold hard block with her finger and looked at me, stunned.

“You don’t smell like an angel,” she whispered.

“Maybe I’m not,” I whispered back, and laughed. “As I was saying, I’ll leave you alone if you can continue to keep your diet in check. In return you have to do something for me.”