Between (10 page)

“
Ask another,” he said, passively.

“
Why am I here?”

“
Ask another.”

“
Are you serious?” I found myself walking, almost running towards him, wanting to push him, fight him. Looking straight at him, inches from his face, I said, “Why can’t you tell me? What are you hiding?”

“
I’m not.”

I backed away, pacing back and forth, something I often do when I get nervous. This was Austin, Patty and Andrew’s friend. If they trusted him, shouldn’t I be able to trust him too? But chills ran down my spine and the floor felt even colder on my bare feet. I kept my eyes glued to the floor; I didn’t want to look at him. I was too embarrassed and fuming inside with anger. But soon I realized that in order to get the answers I needed, I would have to swallow my pride.

“
Why aren’t you telling me anything? Did you kidnap me?” I finally got the nerve to ask that dreadful question.

“
No.”

Then I remembered drinking hot cocoa and everything came back. “You…you drugged me!” I said, feeling worried and panicking at the thought that Austin may be a serial killer or something.

“
Technically, I didn’t. I just told you to go to sleep and you did.”

“
You’ve got to be kidding. How did I get here?”

“
I brought you here after you passed out.”

“
I can’t remember. What I remember is drinking the hot cocoa you gave me. That drink made me pass out.”

“
Not exactly.”

I ignored him. “You put something in my drink. Then you kidnapped me.”

“
If you want to think that’s how it happened, then fine.”

This was getting nowhere; we were talking in circles. “Okay, if you didn’t kidnap me then I can walk out that door?” I asked, pointing to the double door behind me.

“
No.”

“
Austin, stop playing games with me. I need to go home. My mom will be worried.”

“
Your mom is out of town.”

How did he know? He was freaking me out; he knew too much. Perhaps he had some kind of serious mental problem. All sorts of crazy stuff rambled inside my head. I knew I needed to get out of there, and fast. And I wondered how he was going to try to kill me. I knew one thing for sure; I wasn’t gonna go down without a fight. My heart was pounding as I planned the details of how I was going to escape. I tried to not look obvious as I scanned the room. Slowly, I inched my way to the double doors and started asking him questions to distract him. “What day is it?”

“
It’s the day after Patty’s birthday.”

“
Did you have fun?”

“
Maybe.”

“
Maybe is not an answer.” I paused and swallowed hard hoping what I was about to do would work. “What is that on the door?” I pointed to the door near him. It was the stupidest thing to ask, but it made him turn his head and I ran for the double door. My trembling hands latched onto the door knob and I bolted out the door; thank God it wasn’t locked! The strong, ocean breeze brushed against me and I could feel the warmth from the sun.

I ran as fast as my shaky legs would allow. It was difficult to run on pebbled ground; the pebbles were digging into my feet and I could feel the pain from the cuts. Wincing, I turned to see if Austin was running after me, but I didn’t see him. I looked ahead and realized why he wasn’t following…there was nowhere to run to!

My prison was located on a cliff. Did it have to be a cliff? Water surrounded the place, and I was a terrible swimmer. As I was catching my breath, my throat ached with exhaustion. Then suddenly I recalled my dream. Michael told me he couldn’t find me. It was now clear that Austin wasn’t just one of our friends or a killer; he was part of the unknown world I had become embedded in. With this realization came a horrifying question: was Austin a fallen or a demon? What should I do? Oh God! Oh God! I paced back and forth, desperately trying to find a way down the cliff.

“
Claudia,” Austin called. I froze, staring out into the vast ocean that surrounded me. He wasn’t there a second ago–only supernatural beings can move that fast. I knew it. He
was
a fallen or a demon. My eyes darted to my necklace. It was still clear, sparkling, catching the sun’s ray. It had never vibrated and it hadn’t turned black to warn me of any fallen nearby. Maybe he was a different kind of monster Michael forgot to tell me about. Regardless, by the way he was acting and what he had said, clearly, he was not here to help or to protect me. Carefully, I turned, inching my way to the edge of the cliff. He was about a hundred yards away.

“
I know what you are. Don’t come near me or I’ll jump. I’ll never give you my soul. I would rather die,” I said bravely, trembling with fright.

“
What do you think I am?” he snorted.

“
You’re a fallen or a demon. Which one are you?” I demanded.

“
You’ve got to be kidding. Don’t insult me by calling me a fallen.”

He’s a demon then. But his eyes were like mine and not black and eerie looking. He reached out his hand, wanting me to take it. “I’m sorry. Let me explain. I didn’t handle this situation well,” he consoled, coming closer.

“
You just wait till Patty and Andrew hear about his,” I said angrily, as if this even mattered to him. As if after he killed me, anything would even matter.

“
Seriously; you’re gonna tell on me? They’ll think you’re nuts. What would you say?”

He was right. Patty had no clue about their world, but maybe Andrew did. What if Andrew was like him? I continued with more questions. “Is Andrew a demon, like you?”

“
What? No,” he said with certainty.

“
Does Andrew know what you are?”

“
No. Stop asking questions and come to me. You’ll fall.”

I hadn’t realized I had moved that far back. I was that much closer to the edge of the cliff. “Stay back! Don’t take another step!” I yelled. “I swear, I’ll jump!”

“
If you jump, I’ll come after you since you can’t swim, my sheltered one,” he let out a chuckle.

“
I mean it! And stop calling me your sheltered one!” How did he know I wasn’t a good swimmer? And how could he find humor in all this? “Any minute now, my guardian angel will come with his friends and you’ll be dead. They kill demons like you.”

He rolled his eyes. “You mean that no good Michael?”

“
You know Michael?” I got excited. If he knew Michael, maybe he wasn’t on the wrong side. Maybe he was good after all.

He didn’t answer my question. He continued talking. “He can’t find you.”

“
What do you mean he can’t find me? Who are you? What do you want with me?” I demanded.

“
Let me explain.”

“
Stay back!” I yelled again. Suddenly, the heavy breeze lifted my dress, exposing my underwear. I had to hold it down to keep it from sweeping upward.
I hope he didn’t see that.

“
Nice legs,” he commented, arching his brows, making his way to me.

Even in fear for my life, I blushed. I hated it that his flirting had an effect on me. Ignoring his remark, I said, “I’m serious. Don’t take another step!”

“
Claudia, stop playing games. You’ll fall. Just calm down and I’ll explain.”

Stop playing games. Was he nuts? Did he not hear a word I said?
I was furious. “You kidnapped me. I don’t know where I am or where this place is. You…you aren’t you, not the same Austin I knew a day ago. And you want me to stop playing games? Don’t come near me!”

He didn’t heed my warning, but kept heading towards me. All I could do was prepare myself to jump. My feet were in agony from the pebbles, but I didn’t care. My pulse raced faster than I’d ever felt it before and my stomach ached from my fear of heights, and the thought of killing myself to prevent him from taking my soul. As I continued stepping backwards, my foot found a loose rock, slid from the movement, and I was suddenly thrown off the cliff. Falling with my back toward the ocean, I could see the clouds above me. No scream came from my mouth. “Michael,” was all I could mutter, certain I was headed to my death. I saw Austin above me; he too must have fallen, or else I was hallucinating. Adrenaline was flowing through me and I knew I was about to black out. I closed my eyes with thoughts of Michael flashing through my mind. A sudden force caused me to open my eyes, and the last thing I saw were wings behind Austin.

Chapter Eight

Austin’s white glorious wings spanned open; he had no choice but to let Claudia see them. Claudia had blacked out just before he reached her, but he knew she had caught a glimpse. Her body would have impacted on the rippling waves and he would have blamed himself for the pain she would have endured; or worse, her death.

Effortlessly he flew, his wings gliding with the breeze as he held her gently in his arms. She was calm, a far cry from her frantic tantrum right before her fall. Her hair flowed softly in the wind while her dress billowed slightly, clinging to her weary body. Before laying her down, he pressed his face to hers and breathed in her scent. The smell of lavender at dawn, and a summer’s breeze at sunset swirled in his head. Then he placed her down on the bed and covered her with a light blanket.

At first he set his eyes on her long auburn hair, then his eyes outlined the arch of her eyebrows, down to her long luscious eye lashes, cute bunny like nose, and her natural pink full lips. Visually drinking in the curves of her body, he sat there, hypnotized, taken in by her purity and beauty.

As he watched her sleep, he wondered how someone like her, innocent, thin and fragile, could ever defend herself from someone like Aliah, one of the deadliest angels that ever existed, next to Lucifer. He would have to find a way or give her something to defend herself with. As these thoughts filtered through his mind, he remembered seeing blood.

Carefully he lifted the blanket and placed his hands over her feet to heal the wounds. He didn’t mean for her to get hurt this way. If only he had handled the situation better. But he justified it by thinking she had made him emotionally unstable.

Austin was tormented by mixed emotions. There was no doubt that he cared for Claudia, but he was mostly upset at himself for allowing this to happen. He had known her for such a short time, and the way she had taken him over, consuming his thoughts, was something he could not explain.

He had never felt this deeply for a girl, nor was he allowed too. It was forbidden to fall in love. He fooled around, but had never fallen in love before. Austin had never known what falling in love or being in love felt like, so he wasn’t exactly sure what he felt with Claudia; only that he had never felt like this with anyone else–the way his heart fluttered, pumping happy chills throughout his body. The way he wanted to be near her, and how he missed her when she wasn’t around. With every look, touch, and hug, he was falling deeper and deeper. And it scared him more than anything he had ever known.

He didn’t want to admit it, but he would do just about anything for her, even knowing her heart belonged to someone else. In ways, he felt sorry for her. She didn’t ask to have the Holy Spirit soul, and now these demons were after her. She must be constantly scared out of her mind. How he admired her for her brave disposition! He swore that he would protect her to the very end.

Looking at her with adoration, he was thinking of ways to wake her up. He didn’t want to but he needed Claudia to wake up so he could finish his task. Once this was over, he knew there was a possibility that she would never forgive him; it was likely she would even hate him. He had no choice. He had to follow the orders that were given by the Divine Elders.

Austin sensed Claudia awakening. He had to prepare himself for all her questions and how to explain who he was, even though she knew his kind existed.

Claudia’s eyes opened. She blinked them several times, and then sat up in panic, her hair in disarray.
She looks sexy
, he thought.

“
Austin,” she called, breaking his thought.

“
Yes,” he answered softly.

She turned to look at him. His heart skipped a beat and he became lost in thoughts of what he wanted to do at that very moment;
go to her, hold her in his arms, and lose myself in her kiss.
His mind and heart raced out of control. He quickly broke free from his thoughts when she spoke again.