She was
right. It was even hotter in Paris than it had been in London, and
while he hadn’t noticed it as they were flying and he was wearing
only his armour, he definitely felt it now. Even the shade was hot.
He slipped his finger down the line of open buttons on his white
shirt to settle in the V above his chest and tugged at it, shifting
it back and forth to fan himself.
Amelia
emerged from the bathroom and Marcus paused.
She took
his breath away.
The small
dark blue dress she wore clung to her torso, the neckline plunging
deep enough to reveal cleavage, and then flared out from her hips
into a short skirt that ended just before her knees. She had tied
her shoulder-length dark hair up into a neat ponytail, revealing
the full extent of her beauty to him, and had her backpack slung
over one shoulder.
He wasn’t
sure what to say when she stopped in front of him and twirled,
sending the skirt of her blue summer dress swirling outwards and
revealing her thighs.
“You
like?” she said with a breezy smile and mischief in her eyes. “I’m
guessing that look means you like it.”
“What
look?” He feigned ignorance and tried his best to look as though he
hadn’t just been considering finding a quiet hotel instead of a
restaurant. He wanted to eat her again, devouring every inch of her
because she looked delicious and he was ravenous for
her.
She
giggled, sidled up to him, and ran her fingers down the patch of
chest he exposed by holding the front of his shirt. When she tilted
her head back and looked up at him, her shiny lips parting at the
same time, he gave up his pretence and snaked his arm around her
waist and kissed her. It didn’t last nearly long enough.
Someone
bumped them and Amelia sighed, pulled back and frowned at the
people around them.
“Let’s
get out of here.” She took hold of his hand.
He wasn’t
sure where they were going to eat. He had never been to Paris other
than flying over it once or twice when on missions, and that had
been a long time ago. It seemed Amelia had visited the city because
she led him away from the tower and turned down the next street.
Bistros and restaurants lined the quieter leafy avenue. Marcus
tried to recall when she had visited Paris but the delicious smell
coming from the first restaurant made it impossible for him to
think. He almost groaned when Amelia scrunched up her nose at the
menu outside and moved on to the next one.
After the
third restaurant, Marcus couldn’t take anymore. Amelia seemed
intent on scrutinising the menus and the smells coming from each
establishment had Marcus’s stomach growling louder and louder. He
had expended a lot of energy flying to Paris and he was starving
now that he knew food was close at hand. He looked at the next café
along and used his superior hearing to listen in on the
conversations. Most of them were in French. Locals using the place
had to be a good sign so he dragged Amelia to it, ignoring her
protests about not having seen the menu. She quietened when she
spotted a free table outside and sat at it, hiding from the sun by
a combination of the large cream coloured umbrellas that stood
between the tables and the tall trees that cast cool shadows along
the street.
A waiter
bustled over to them and spoke in French. Marcus had never mastered
the language and the few things he did know how to say probably
wouldn’t be much use. Amelia dived in and said something, and then
the waiter gave her two menus and moved to another
table.
“You
speak French?” Marcus shifted his chair closer to hers at the small
round metal table. He couldn’t remember her mastering a
language.
“Only
school level stuff. Honestly, I’m surprised I can remember it.” She
handed him a menu and frowned at her own.
Marcus
glanced down. It seemed fairly ordinary fare although there were
some questionable items included, or the French to English
translations were wrong. Either way, he was going to avoid the
snails and other strange offerings.
Steak
caught his eye and his stomach growled. Meat would go a long way
towards replenishing his energy.
Amelia
ordered for them and the waiter returned a moment later, carrying a
tray with two tall icy glasses on it, as well as a bottle of water.
He set the items down and disappeared into the crowd of patrons.
Marcus picked up his glass of cloudy yellow liquid and
sniffed.
“Still
lemonade,” Amelia said and sipped hers. “It’s heavenly on a hot day
like today.”
Marcus
tried it and the zingy taste made his eyes pop wide. It instantly
refreshed him and he found himself leaning back in his chair and
savouring it. He tipped his head back, looked past the edge of the
sun umbrella and up at the sky through the branches of the trees.
It wouldn’t be long until Einar reached them. As much as he just
wanted to spend some quiet time with Amelia, his mission had to
come first.
Their
food arrived and Amelia fell into an easy conversation with him as
they ate, questioning him in a coded manner about his life as an
angel and talking about her life as a mortal, and the dreams she
had for her future. It seemed so alien to him and so very human to
be sitting at a restaurant in a new city with a woman who was
stealing his heart.
“What’s
wrong?” Amelia said and Marcus realised that he had stopped eating
and was looking at her.
“I was
thinking how strange it is for me to be here… like
this.”
“Like
this?”
“Talking…
eating with you… not thinking about my duty.”
Amelia
laughed and touched his hand, and then smiled deep into his eyes,
her grey ones bright with amusement.
He was
smitten. It wasn’t just physical desire he felt for her. It went
deeper. So deep that he was beginning to question whether he would
be able to leave her when his mission came to an end.
Could
he?
Marcus
frowned and tilted his head back again.
“What is
it now?” Amelia said.
“Einar
has arrived. He is wondering where we are.”
“That’s
still freaky.” Amelia smiled and set her fork down, and signalled
the waiter.
There was
a hint of nerves in her eyes now. He felt it too. The past few
hours with her had been a dream and now they had to face reality
again. He had to return his focus to his mission and protecting
her. His duty waited.
Duty.
It was
all he had known since his rebirth and his heart had been dedicated
to it but now he wasn’t sure what he was doing. When his mission
was over, could he return to his duty and to Heaven?
It was
all he had wanted for so long. It had kept him going throughout his
time trapped in Heaven, wingless, and after that when he had been
assigned to watch over Amelia. Now he was no longer certain about
what he wanted. No. He was certain but he was finding it difficult
to believe that he felt such a way.
He wanted
to stay with Amelia.
Even if
that meant turning his back on Heaven.
***
Chapter 15
Einar
stopped in front of a dark door on the top floor of the Parisian
townhouse and knocked. Taylor hung back on the short strip of
hallway outside the apartment, a wheeled black travel case beside
her, leaving Marcus and Amelia standing on the step below. Both
Taylor and Einar had complained about the heat when they had met
them at the base of the Eiffel Tower, and Marcus had felt inclined
to mention that their usual tight black combat clothing probably
wasn’t the best choice considering the weather. His gaze shifted to
the travel case. Did it contain clothes or was it packed with
weapons? It wouldn’t surprise him if Taylor had somehow managed to
conceal a large number of knives in the innocent looking piece of
luggage. The only thing that would surprise him was if she had
actually come here unarmed. He couldn’t remember a time when he had
seen her without a weapon on hand.
She
looked over her shoulder at him, causing her long black hair to
sway in its ponytail, and eyed him suspiciously. It seemed
half-demons could sense when an angel was watching them closely.
Marcus smiled and her hard look softened and then a smile of her
own curved her lips when her blue gaze shifted to
Amelia.
“Anything
strange happen on the way here?” she said.
“Other
than the fact I was flying in the arms of an angel?” Amelia smiled
brightly and then shook her head. “Nothing out of the ordinary
except that.”
“Good to
hear. The local demons in London haven’t encountered any Hell’s
angels, so those three you fought must have been the only ones in
the vicinity. That means we couldn’t get any intel on what they
wanted, I’m afraid.” Taylor’s attention shifted back to
Marcus.
He
nodded. Taylor held his gaze, a silent challenge in her eyes, a
dare to mention that those three Hell’s angels hadn’t been the only
ones in London. Veiron had been there too. The faint trace of hurt
that shone in her blue irises alongside that dare stopped him from
saying anything. Einar was right. Whatever had happened between
Taylor and Veiron, it had hurt her, and bringing him up again would
only renew that pain.
The door
opened to reveal a petite blonde woman wearing a pale dress similar
to Amelia’s deep blue one. Marcus wasn’t familiar with her but she
smiled at them all in turn.
“We were
not expecting you,” she said, her English thick with a French
accent.
Was this
the woman that Apollyon had sacrificed everything for? Einar had
explained that the woman was a witch. Marcus had never met one of
her kind. Power flowed from her, a force that held an underlying
note of darkness.
“Apollyon
is out. We needed food for our guests.” Her smile brightened. “I
will have to send him out for more now.”
“You
already have guests?” Einar said and she nodded.
Marcus
focused and picked up the quiet conversation taking place inside
the apartment. He would recognise the male voice
anywhere.
“Rookie.”
Marcus grinned and the petite blonde looked confused and turned to
Einar for an explanation.
“He means
Lukas.” Einar smiled warmly. “I hadn’t seen him since his rebirth
until only recently.”
“You are
lucky. I had to re-train him in combat with spears. He was
terrible.” Marcus laughed at the memory of having to teach the
angel that had once taught him. That was the downside to being
reborn on death. Not only did you forget your past life, but you
forgot everything you had learned too. The slate was wiped clean.
Languages, knowledge, fighting techniques. All of it was gone and
it was rare to instinctively remember anything. Most angels only
recalled how to do one or two things and it often took centuries
for those to come back to them.
Marcus
had come through the ranks with Einar under Lukas’s instruction. It
had been strange to be his junior one day and his superior the
next.
“Come
in,” the woman said and Einar passed her. Taylor followed him into
the apartment. The woman’s gaze met his. “I am
Serenity.”
Marcus
stepped up onto the small hallway. “I’m Marcus and this is Amelia.
We need to see Apollyon as soon as he returns.”
She
sighed. “He will not be pleased to see you… if you ask… no… if you
have come to ask him to bring you to that place.”
Something
in the weary edge to her hazel eyes said that she wasn’t pleased to
see him either. Marcus knew requesting access to Hell was asking a
lot of Apollyon and that his old friend wanted to be rid of all of
his duties that bound him to that place and Heaven, but all of
Marcus’s hope rested on him saying that he could take him there so
he could find out what Veiron and Heaven had seen.
“I must.”
Marcus held his hand out to Amelia. “Her life depends on
it.”
Serenity’s eyes shifted to Amelia and softened. “In that
case, you may enter and wait for him. Do not expect a good
response.”
She
stepped aside and fixed him with a hard look as he passed and he
got a clearer sense of her power. She was strong, her magic
emanating from her in tangible waves and mingling with the anger
evident in the set of her jaw. It warned him not to argue with her.
It seemed Apollyon wasn’t the only one who was upset whenever
someone asked him to travel to Hell.
Marcus
could understand her reluctance and her feelings. Apollyon would
have to accompany him in order for him to gain access to Hell, and
it was a dangerous place for angels, even those as powerful as
Apollyon. The pool that recorded the history of the mortal realm
from Hell was close to the bottomless pit where the Devil resided.
The Devil had a strong voice and had swayed hundreds of angels with
his promises.
“This is
a beautiful apartment,” Amelia said from behind him.
“It is
Apollyon’s big taste and my décor.” Serenity giggled, seemingly
more at ease with Amelia than she was with him. “We have lived here
since we met.”
“I think
Marcus must be the only angel who isn’t rich.” Amelia laughed and
glanced his way, her bright eyes enchanting him. “Everyone else
seems to have amazing apartments and he’s stuck in a one-bed next
door to me.”