Fallen (Chronicles Of The Fallen) (18 page)

Lisa’s found herself shocked too many times to count in one day. “Wow, Mr. Masterson. I’m extremely flattered, thank-you.” Lisa pauses, wanting time to think this decision over, but knows if she does, she may lose this opportunity. “If I accept this proposal, I’ll need you to be here to mentor me. I don’t feel comfortable blindly taking this on after everything that’s happened.”

He smiles and sits back in his chair, intertwining his fingers in his lap. “I can make arrangements to be here for three months, maybe four.”

Lisa begins to think about Steven again. Calling her “boss” makes sense now. “I’ll accept, Mr. Masterson. Thank-you for this opportunity.” She smiles. “May I request one thing, aside from your time?”

Shawn raises a brow and nods. “Depending on what it is, I’ll consider it. Go ahead.”

Smiling, it’s Lisa’s turn to lean forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “Mr. Masterson, promote Steven. Move him into my vacated position. He deserves this and he’s worked alongside me for the last five years. He also worked alongside Samuel many days and nights. I think he would be a great asset as a partner in your firm.”

“I’ll talk with Human Resources about it. I’ll also personally talk to Steven about it.”

“Please, Mr. Masterson, let him know this was your idea.” Lisa smiles softly.

“Sure, I suppose I can do that. Give him time to come around and get used to you being in charge. If he gives you a hard time, fire him.”

“Oh, Mr. Masterson, I’m positive we’ll settle things just fine.” Lisa stands up, pulling her purse over shoulder.

Shawn also stands and extends his hand. “I’m happy you accepted the position, Lisa. I know you’ll run the company just fine.” He winks then lets her hand go. Opening the door, the people outside quiet down and turn their attention to Shawn. Lisa walks out and stands beside him. She tries to keep herself from looking at anyone directly until things settle down. “As with all things business, things change and people come and go. In my experience, it’s not by stealing and leaving town.” He chuckles and Lisa appreciates him making an attempt to lighten the mood before his announcement. Some employees have made Elite PR & Marketing their career and have many years on Lisa. She knows there will be some unhappy with the decision, some happy, and some not caring in the least.

Shawn continues, “I’m happy to announce your new CEO, Lisa Adams.” Lisa looks over and sees Steven coming back into the room. The red in his face has faded. Their eyes meet and he nods to her; she returns it. “Please join me in giving her a round of applause.”

Shawn begins to clap and, one by one, others join in. Lisa smiles and looks around the room. Some faces are smiling, some look upset. She meets Steven’s gaze and he looks defeated, but she appreciates him putting on a smile.

Hearing a few congratulations on her promotion, Shawn escorts her to what will be her new office. Walking inside what was once Samuel’s office, a familiar scent invades her nose…sulfur. “Mr. Masterson, would it be possible to have the room thoroughly cleaned?” She looks at Shawn. “It seems to have a dirty smell to it.”

He sniffs the air and shrugs. “I don’t smell anything but, sure, we can do that.”

The two discuss the changes, her new salary, and responsibilities throughout the morning. Around 12:30, she pulls her cell phone from her purse and dials Alex’s number. He answers on the first ring. “Lisa? Everything okay?"

“Yeah, it’s more than okay.” She sighs, then goes into details on what happened with Samuel. “Do you know if my assistant, Mariah, was a demon? Or maybe something like a minion to Samuel?"

“I’m not certain. Why?” he asks.

“It seems she’s disappeared. Speculations are she’s with Samuel, but no one knows for sure.”

“Really? Okay, if Samuel controlled Mariah, then it’s very possible that she’s with him. He would be her Master, leaving her no choice.” He thinks about how he could find out. He can’t go back into Hell, and he doubts any demon would tell him anything. “I’ll see what I can find out.”

“Okay.” Lisa smiles into the phone. “On a lighter note, I do have some positive news.”

“Oh, yeah? Do tell.”

“I was promoted to CEO today.”

“Really?! That’s great, Lisa! Congratulations!”

Hearing a knock on her door, she covers the phone with her palm and says, “It’s open.” Shawn walks through with lunch and takes a seat at the conference table. Turning back to the phone, she says, “I need to go, but I’ll call you when I get home tonight. I love you.”

“I love you.” They hang up and Lisa puts her phone away.

~~~~~~~~~~~

A few weeks into her new position, Lisa begins interviewing possible replacements for Mariah. A young man wearing a gray business suit enters her office. His dark brown hair is cut short, and a faint hint of a beard on his face gives him the appearance of looking older.

He extends his hand to Lisa. “Hello, Ms. Adams. My name is Xander Harris.” He smiles, his teeth white and straight, his eyes a dark hazel.

She shakes his hand. “Have a seat, Xander. Thank-you for coming in today.”

He opens his briefcase and pulls out his resume, handing one to Lisa. She looks it over as he begins talking of his marketing experience and duties at his previous companies. Looking at Xander and setting his resume down, she crosses her fingers on her desk. “Xander, I need someone who will go the extra mile to help me be successful. I’ll be honest with you. My last assistant was amazing. She was on top of things before I knew they were coming.” Lisa thinks about that statement for a moment. She wonders how much Mariah knew about Alex. “I need to know you can do
that for me. I need you to be able to be one step ahead of me.”

“Yes, ma’am. Absolutely. Once I understand your schedule, how you work and how you adjust to the environment around you, I’ll be your number one guy.” He grins, almost in a flirtatious way.

Something about Xander strikes her as familiar. She looks at him for a moment longer, then nods. “Okay, I appreciate your time today. I’ll be in touch. There are a few more candidates I need to interview before making my decision.” She stands and offers her hand to him.

“Thank-you for the consideration, Ms. Adams." Lisa walks Xander to the door, noticing the females in the office turning to watch him. He was definitely easy on the eyes, but he was a little younger than most others working there.

“I’ll be in touch.” Lisa smiles at him, then turns back to her office, closing the door behind her.

Walking to her desk, she smells a hint of sulfur. Looking around, she knows that she’s alone, but decides to investigate anyway. Opening the coat closet, she turns the light on, seeing everything is normal. Closing the door, she walks to the windows and looks outside. People are walking on the sidewalks and cars drive on the streets, but everything seems normal.

“Maybe I’m losing my mind.” She shakes her head, then walks back to her chair. She notices the time is 12:30 when someone knocks. “It’s open,” she calls.

The door opens and Alex walks in. She beams at him and stands up. He’s carrying a picnic basket and a large bottle of water. “I thought I’d bring you lunch. CEO’s have to eat, too.”

She smiles and crosses the room. Standing on her toes, she kisses him. “You have perfect timing. Come on in.” She shuts the door behind him and he takes a seat in a guest chair.

Setting the basket down, he looks around her
office. “It’s big, and nice.” He inhales and his brows furrow.

“You smell it, too, don’t you?” she asks.

“I smell sulfur, but it could be anything.” He hopes it’s anything else, but is pretty sure a demon has been through here. “The smell is usually quite pungent. You’d know if a demon were in your presence, especially now since...” He trails off.

She nods, her gaze lowering. The ordeal she went through with Samuel and Alex is still fresh in her mind. Nightmares sometimes plague her; other nights, she sleeps without dreaming. “Yeah, I know.” Pushing the thoughts aside, she looks back up. “So, what did you bring?”

“Finger foods.” He opens the basket and sets it on her desk. She looks inside and grins at the assortment of small sandwiches, fruits, and nuts.

“Perfect.” She looks at him and he stands up, leaning over her desk to kiss her. Taking a seat, he
starts putting the food on her desk.

“I’m starving! Thank-you for this.” She smiles, watching Alex while he sets up the paper plates and napkins.

~~~~~~~~~~~

A few months have passed since Samuel’s disappearance. For the most part, Lisa’s life has returned to normal. Alex has moved in with her, and they’re planning a getaway during Christmas and New Year’s.

Xander was offered the assistant position and he’s working out great. After Shawn promoted Steven to partner, Steven seemed to walk on eggshells around Lisa for the first few weeks until he felt satisfied that his promotion wasn’t Lisa’s attempt at pity.

The week leading up to Thanksgiving, Lisa suddenly woke up one night and ran to the bathroom to
vomit. Alex padded into the bathroom behind her and held back her hair, rubbing her back. “Baby, are you okay?” He turns to the cabinet and pulls a clean washcloth. Running it under cold water and wringing it out, he hands it to her.

When she finished and flushed the toilet, she sat and pressed her back against the wall. She wipes her mouth with the cloth and then folds it, pressing it against her forehead, groaning. “Oh, my god, what did I eat last night?”

“Baby, I ate the same thing and I’m fine.” Alex looks over her face, not seeing any signs of food poisoning.

She glares up at Alex. “Stomach of steel?”

He lifts one side of his lips up in a grin. “Something like that.”

The next few mornings were the same…sick in the morning, then fine the rest of the day. She begins to wonder if it’s possible for Alex to get her pregnant. One
evening after work, she goes to a drug store and buys a pregnancy test. Hiding it in her purse, she uses it the next morning. Brushing her teeth, she stares at the test, waiting for the results.

Leaning against the bathroom wall, her arms wrap around her waist, her fingers tapping lightly on her arm. She blows hair off of her face and shifts back and forth. Assuming it’s been two minutes, she looks down at the test.

Picking it up, she heads back into the bedroom. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she runs a finger down Alex’s face. He begins to stretch and wake up. Looking at her, he smiles. “Good morning, beautiful.”

She smiles. “Good morning." Leaning forward, Lisa presses a kiss on the corner of Alex's lips. Pulling back, her fingers glide down his bare chest and she watches him as he yawns. His blond hair is completely messy from the night's sleep, and his blue eyes are still heavy with sleep. "Baby, are you fully awake?"

“Umm, yeah.” He sits up and presses his back against the headboard. Bringing his arms above his head, he stretches, then relaxes again. “Yeah, I’m good. What’s up?”

Lisa smiles, then holds up the test. "I'm pregnant."

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading Fallen. Look for the sequel, Redemption, coming soon.

A little about the characters:

Samuel

His character was derived from Archangel Samael. Originally the Angel of Death, he was one of the higher archangels in Heaven before his downfall. Some stories depict him as the most beautiful of angels; and the most cruel, deceitful, manipulative, and seductive.

Stories of Lilith tell about her coming to Archangel Samael and needing guidance. She was found wandering the Dead Sea before she came upon the angel. She wanted to take the souls of men and destroy their children. He saw something dark inside of her and decided to give her what she wanted. He took her soul and made her a succubus. Lilith was damned to Hell, but she received her wish…she preyed upon men in their sleep removing their souls during intercourse.

Due to the sin of taking Lilith’s life and making her a demon, Samael was stripped of his role as the Angel of Death and was cast into Hell. He remained deceptive and seductive to the women in his life and, in the story of Fallen, he became the first incubus.

Alex / Selaphiel

Archangel Selaphiel was born a human, serving Elijah. Upon his death, he became the Angel of Prayer and, in time, the Archangel.


In the story of Fallen, Selaphiel was named Lisa’s guardian angel. There are no stories of this angel actually manifesting into human form, nor becoming a hybrid.

Hailing from Burleson, Texas, and growing up in the country with big tractors and bonfire parties, I would daydream about far off lands, hoping to get inside their worlds one day. I can remember daydreaming about flying; not in a plane, but like an angel or a bird. I would occasionally write these thoughts in my journal, but never did much with them beyond that. I’ve worked in IT my entire career and have always had a fascination with electronics. I like to take things apart and see how they are put back together, preferably with nothing left over.

I’ve always had a love of books and paranormal stories. After encouragement from my family, I finally made the leap from writing in a spiral notebook to writing in a laptop.

Now residing in sunny Florida, I spend my free time with my daughter. She’s my light in this dark world. You’ll find
us putting together puzzles, playing games, or reading stories about animals or princesses.

As a family, we volunteer our
time with the local Autism Research center here in Polk County, in hopes of finding a cure one day. Once you learn to see the world through the eyes of an autistic person (child or adult), the world never looks the same again.