I sat up feeling stiff, sore, and sleep deprived as the sound of my phone dinging by my bed woke me, followed by clanking sounds from the kitchen. I checked it and saw that it was Pheral who had messaged me. “Good morning, beautiful. I miss you. Everything is the same here, one meeting after another. I may never see the day when I am free of the pack. I’m sorry.” His message hit home, and I held back my tears. I missed him, too, and my heart ached for his hugs and sweet words when we were alone. Never leave the pack? I may end up threatening Cash to let Pheral go as he promised. Taking a deep breath through my nose, I caught the scent of smoke, and when I heard Steve yell, “Bloody Hell,” followed by the sounds of water, I shot out of bed and went straight into the kitchen. “What are you...” I was asking, but before I could finish, he stammered, “Can’t you see I’m making breakfast?” Seeing burnt eggs in the pan and black toast on a plate made me laugh uncontrollably. “Why a
After my threat of turning his human body into a skunk, Steve complied, and we headed in my care to Corner of Bliss café. The silence was tolerable other than his constant shifting in the passenger seat, looking around. Finding a place to park was tricky, Corner of Bliss was a hopping little café with free Wi-Fi, and it’d been around long enough to have a mass number of Others that were loyal and frequented the place. Of course, humans always found their way there but were welcomed just the same. “Good morning, dears. What can I... get you?” Beth's pause was expected, she was something Ayda and I could never figure out, so I wasn’t sure if she would sense something about Steve. “Just two coffees, please. Is Trixie still here?” Still staring at Steve, she smiled and nodded toward the café window. Trixie was leaning across the booth’s table and chatting up the new waiter. I can't say I blame him. The guy was gorgeous. “Thanks,” I said while she was staring at Steve. “I don’t thin
Steve's sudden question made me jump, and he grasped my hand harder, saying, “It’s worse than this. Unlike vampires who can sleep for eternity in solitude or fairies who can use their magic to fill nothingness with light and valuables, demons can only wait and listen, hoping to hear what’s happening outside the nothingness.” A slight shake in his voice made me feel horrible all of a sudden, but I couldn’t play into it no matter how bad I felt, “Well, do the crime, and you’ll eventually do time, Steve. I didn’t make those rules back then, but I still have to follow them today.” “Be lucky you didn’t end up with Groves. He had a basement full of tiny glass boxes that held his bounty captures. They could see out, and he would play reruns of commercials 24/7 on a black-and-white box t.v. for them to watch. Talk about torture. At least Reggie would talk to all of you,” Trixie piped in, obviously not feeling bad for Steve. “Sorry if I don’t seem grateful, but in all respect, I wasn’t supp
I turned to Steve, his attitude had pushed me a little too far, and I exploded, “Look, I’m so close to saying screw it and putting you back in the metal box before both our asses become kindling for Angel’s fire. You seem to think proving you innocent is my purpose in life, but you’re wrong, STEVE. I am only doing this because I can’t live with a guilty conscience or the possibility of one!” I was huffing, trying to gather my breath. Rarely did I snap like that, but my cool mindset had flown over the railing and tumbled down several flights of stairs. “I don’t know where the guy is, but this was our only hope, Steve, so please, just be quiet and let me breathe.” He stared at me momentarily and cocked his head before looking at the door marked 2C. I looked, too, and the door was opened with an older man staring at us. “Mr. Arubergy?” He nodded and stuck his head out, looking around. “Come in, come in, hurry now,” he said, waving at us to be quick. “Please remove your shoes. I a
"I'll kill you, by the Almighty, I SWEAR!" My scream echoed in the cobblestoned room. I could feel the moisture against my back, but I wasn't sure if it was blood or the dark moldy dampness that stuck along the stones. With my hands in rusty shackles pulled above my head, I struggled, sweat and blood dripping down into my eyes when he hit me again. "Emmm, oh yes, please, struggle more, MORE!" he said, probably thinking I was trying to struggle to get free. His smooth and wicked tone gave me goosebumps. He was sick, twisted, and too damn handsome. I kept struggling to buy time. King Lou knew I wouldn't stay dead. Instead, he'd kill me, and a damned soul would take up residence, bringing me back good as new. I hated souls of the damned, and unlike souls from heaven, the damned felt foggy in my head. Years of torture, and past lives of being murderers, thieves, and degenerate slime, gave them the power sometimes to cloud my judgment. All that hate is a powerful thing. My clothes were r
Michael snapped his fingers at me to bring me back to reality. I had been sitting there lost in thought about my last encounter with King Lou, the ruler of Oblivion, or Hell as humans would call it. I had earned my self a vacation that lasted a whopping 24 hours before Michael had called to tell me I had another job. Now, here I sat at our usual place, the coffee shop called Corner of Bliss, as Michael sat across from me. Meeting here for about the last 20 years made us regulars I suppose. It'd become the point of job delivery. It wasn't far from my home, and the location was prime also for hearing tad bits of gossip from the smokers and sippers that monopolized the free Wi-Fi with a coffee. "Thinking I could enjoy a nice vacation, but not one day after the last job, here I am again Michael. When is the Almighty going to let me breathe for more than 24 hours?" I needed to whine a bit, I would get used to having time off from being the bodyguard for the scaly and furry, then surprise
I was human, plain, and boring, but now, I’m not and haven’t been for 20 years. You wouldn’t classify me as an Angel, Devil, or Other. I was something closer to a Reincarnate, but not exactly. I can’t die permanently since I did once, and the Almighty God himself put me back on Earth with a lovely supply of new souls to use every time I’m killed. That way, I can keep serving him for eternity, which was explained once by Michael in a way he thought was helpful. “Let’s say you gain weight, so you have to replace your clothing because it doesn’t fit anymore. Same with a soul, except you die rather than gain weight, and the soul must be replaced,” he said, if I remember right. I kind of understood, but the mechanics of it were too much for me to wrap my mind around. It was similar to reincarnation, except it was immediate, and I was still fully aware of my surroundings. I could only imagine if hundreds of us died and respawned immediately, poor Death’s head would be spinning! Michael
Gently turning the handle of the metal door, I was suddenly ripped inside the stairwell. Shining yellow eyes grabbed my attention as I was slammed back into the cold gray wall. I closed my eyes as a loud "Oomph," escaped my lips echoing off the stairs. My back went numb while my brain stopped rattling inside my skull. I could feel a hot breath on my face and I could think of in that moment was 'Damn, I'm caught.' From the aura pressing against me and almost trying fill me from the inside out, I knew it was Cash. I wasn't careful enough, but should have known he'd be waiting for a chance to take me out. Can't blame him for his natural instincts. I shook my head and opened my eyes. "WHO ARE YOU?" His hot breath hit my face hard with those words and I could feel the anger riding in the waves of his aura. He tightened his grip as I was gathering my thoughts on how exactly to answer. Pulled to my tip toes at that moment, I started to stutter an explanation. "I, uh, am here, COUGH." I