Haunting Me (An Angel Falls Book 3) Page 5

  Vivi’s cough eases and I feel her body relax.

  “Now, that’s a useful trick,” she creaks.

  “Water, Vivi?”

  “Yes.”

  Her throat sounds painful, but she manages to add, “Mix it with the Scotch.”

  She sips the soup broth as I mix her another drink. By the time I set the liquor in front of her she appears recovered from the coughing spell and is jotting down words on the notepad.

  “Do you have any medicine I can grab for you?”

  “Stopped taking it. I’m dying. What’s the point?”

  “If you’re a witch, don’t you practice earth medicine?”

  “Well, I did,” she says and sits back for a second, pausing before continuing. “I haven’t been doing much of anything lately. Even gave away all my plants. The greenhouse is a disaster past repair.”

  She motions with a hand to a chair. “Sit with me, Nathaniel.” She takes another bite of the soup followed by a drink of the Scotch and continues. “Before I go to bed I’ll ask this favor of you.”

  “Anything you want, Ms. Vivi. If I can help your transition or your non-transition, I will.”

  “Since you’re insisting on delaying my well-prepared plans, here’s a list of things I need to continue with this deplorable life.”

  She tears the paper from the pad and slides it across the table. I look it over carefully and smile.

  “You want me to get groceries for you?”

  “I need to eat, don’t I? I don’t care to go into town much. I’m also very tired most of the time.”

  “It’s not that I don’t want to do this for you,” I say slowly. “I don’t have all the means to accomplish this task.”

  “Are you talking about money? I have money. I don’t expect anyone to pay for me.”

  “It’s also about how to get the food here. I don’t usually travel by car.”

  “Are you capable of driving a vehicle?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Well, take my truck,” she says as if this is perfectly reasonable.

  “Vivi, I have to tell you something else,” I start to say as a thought enters my mind.

  “Quit your pussyfooting around and spit it out,” she says.

  I love this woman’s directness.

  “If I go to the store and you decide to do something while I’m away, I’ll know when the time comes. It’s part of what I am. I don’t control it and I’ll be at your side immediately.”

  She frowns, her lips pursing together with impatience. “I’m not going back to the overlook tonight, or probably tomorrow either. You’ve put a wrench in my agenda, thank you very much. I’m going to think on it and rest. I also believe you and I have some more talking to do before I leave this life. Perhaps about our mutual friend, Liam?” One brow rises in question as her other eye squints, giving me that deadly serious and disdainful look she is so good at. She’s also confirming her suspicions that I want more information about Liam.

  “I would like to talk to you, but my priorities are for your personal concerns first.”

  “Well then, you go get my smoked salmon and cream cheese and I will see you in the morning.”

  With this, she pushes herself up and starts away from the dining table. “It’s sort of a comfort knowing you’re not alone in the end,” she says.

  “Yes, it is,” I agree.

  “Help me to my room and I’ll get the keys and the money you need, angel helper.” She says these last words like a little taunt that she doesn’t quite believe. “And stoke the fire before you go. We old folk get cold easy.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” I say and take her arm.

  She walks toward the open door by the staircase and we enter her bedroom. It’s a complete contrast to the rest of the rustic log home. This room is plush and rich with color. Ornately carved heavy furniture draped with soft fabrics adds warmth and texture while potted plants bring life and greenery inside.

  “A few of your plants are still around,” I say.

  “They’re just the ones no one wanted,” she says, dismissing my observation.

  The plants in her bedroom are big and healthy. Many of them have large white blooms. I’m not buying her story about no one wanting these plants, but I won’t press her either. It’s a good sign that she saved something she loves and she’s still able to take care of them. Her will to live may be strong yet.

  Vivi walks over by the bed and I let go of her arm. She opens the top drawer in the nightstand and hands me some keys and cash.

  “We’ll talk tomorrow. And Nathaniel, please stay away from my witch’s closet. It’s protected and booby-trapped. I’d hate for such a handsome boy to get injured.”

  “I’ll stay away from it if you let me know where it is.”

  “Avoid the north side of the house and you’ll be right as rain.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” I say again, my curiosity peaked more than ever. Witches, curses, booby traps, fallen angels? These new cases are definitely different.

  Chapter Six: Power versus Food

  Nathaniel

  Have you ever been near a volcano by the ocean? The intensity of heat, masses of water, and earth forming right before your eyes — it’s like no other environment on the planet. It’s overwhelming and beautiful and intense and you’re scared for your life, but at the same time you can’t get enough of the magnificent cacophony of sensation. That is what it feels like to be around Juliana Crowson.

  How long has it been since I knocked at a girl’s door?

  When I was alive I dated a few girls but none of them ever made me this nervous. Standing before Juliana’s door feels like the journey of my soul is at a crossroads. Am I about to meet her family officially? It’s exciting, but also excruciating.

  “Hi,” Juliana says from the open doorway. A lock of dark hair falls over one eye and she uses it as an excuse to break eye contact as she tucks the silken strands behind her ear.

  “Come in,” she says and steps aside.

  Jared stands behind her and doesn’t move to clear the entryway for me. The look on his face is at first hard, but I see a flicker of recognition, followed closely by surprise.

  “Move,” Juliana says and bumps him out of the way.

  I extend my hand. “Good to see you, Jared.”

  It takes him a second longer than what most people would consider polite, but he takes my hand and shakes it. His cast is gone and I realize his cast was also missing the morning I saved his life...again. He had a broken hand from our first run-in at Castle Hill when a crazy meth dealer slammed a door on it. It now appears healed.

  “You’re the one. You’re uh…”

  He doesn’t seem able to connect the words with his thoughts so I interject. “Yeah. That was me,” I say. “Your hand and arm all better?” I ask.

  “Come upstairs,” he says quickly. “Both of you,” he urges as he turns for the staircase.

  When we get to the landing, he looks over his shoulder and says, “I couldn’t play my guitar so I cut the freaking cast off.”

  I glance over to Juliana who is standing next to me looking equally confused by her brother’s behavior.

  “It came off a few days early. He says it’s fine, but I’m not convinced,” she says.

  Jared darts into Juliana’s bedroom and we follow behind.

  “Close the door,” he tells me.

  As I turn to face the room, I only see Juliana. I take a step toward her, liking what I see very much. She watches me approach and a slight flush fills her cheeks, rosy and delicate, reminding me of her perfectly matching pink lips. My eyes go there next. I can’t help myself. She has the most beautiful mouth I’ve ever seen. I tear my gaze away only to look at the rest of her. Fitted shirt and jeans show all the best curves and leaves little to my imagination. Or maybe there’s a lot left to imagine. I won’t go there just now. I may become a liability to myself if I do. Swallowing hard I search her eyes again and see she’s watching me with similar intensity. One s
ide of my mouth lifts as I realize she was checking me out the same way I was looking at her. How have the stars aligned so I can spend this night with her? I can’t fathom the complexities of the universe, but God, am I grateful.

  “Marcus is outside. He stays out of Jules’s room unless we ask him in so I thought we should come up here,” Jared says.

  Juliana and I simultaneously acknowledge Jared’s forgotten presence in the room as we redirect our attention to him.

  “Right,” she agrees and walks over to the window.

  “Is he out there?” Jared asks. To me he says, “She sees him, I don’t.”

  “I know,” I say.

  “I can’t see him from up here,” she says and turns back around. “Is Marcus a problem?”

  “Possibly,” I answer.

  She catches her lower lip with her teeth. Her expression shows the worry I’m trying to hide on my own face.

  Jared’s fingers twitch against his jeans as he says, “You weren’t supposed to bring me back to life at Patrick Dawson’s house.”

  “No, I wasn’t.”

  “And it was you at Castle Hill when Mason was yanked off me and flew through the window.”

  “Guilty again.”

  “Why? Why did you do it?” Jared asks.

  It takes effort, but I look away from Juliana’s emerald and gold eyes and stare into Jared’s deep brown ones. Their faces and their eyes are so similar in shape and yet they are so different looking. Their Native American blood shows in their black hair, noses, and cheekbones, but Jared has the male bone structure and she is more delicate. It’s like she is the feminine version of him. A second passes like an eternity as a connection I have never experienced before grips me. It’s as if I know Jared and have known him forever. He seems oblivious to this magnetic force and waits for me to answer. I back up to the wall and lean against it. We’ve met before, but this is the first time we’ve actually talked.

  He’s a different kind of person. Juliana’s tried to explain there is something unique about her brother, but I assumed she thought so because he’s her brother. Before this recognition gets any weirder, I say the first thing that comes to mind, the truth. “Because you mean so much to your sister.”

  He blinks once, twice, and rakes his fingers over his scalp. “You’re the man. I owe you my life. I appreciate every second you’ve given me.”

  “You owe me nothing and I mean it. Chances are good I’ve made things worse for you, so don’t thank me yet.”

  “Jules mentioned my situation could get extreme, but I say bring it on.” With this, Jared’s wide mouth, so similar to Juliana’s, spreads into a grin only to be rivaled by the Cheshire cat. “My death is going to be spectacular.”

  “Nice, J,” Juliana says, sarcasm dripping. She crosses the room to my side.

  While Jared is still feeling appreciative, I ask, “Mind if I date your sister?” I hadn’t forgotten his protective stance by the front door.

  “S’cool with me,” he says.

  Juliana lets out a small huff. “You so don’t get to say who I date.”

  “You’ve never dated anyone I liked before. This is going to work out great.” Before Jared says anything else we hear someone calling out.

  “Yo, Jared! You here?”

  “See ya,” he says and rushes out of the bedroom like a mad wind.

  “That would be Jared’s best friend, Caleb. The band gets back tonight from their first tour.”

  “Are you sure you still want to go out? I understand if you want to stay with your brother.” I smile down at her and she returns the sentiment, instantly melting any residual tension from my day and the odd feelings invoked by looking into Jared’s eyes.

  “I’ve said goodbye to him every few minutes since I found out he’s…leaving. There’s nothing else to say really. Besides, now that the band is back, this is sort of perfect. Jared won’t even know I’m not around.”

  “If you’re sure, let’s get out of here. Tonight is for an extremely ordinary, taking things slow, normal kind of date. Did I get that right?”

  “Sounds perfect,” she says.

  After finding out I was an angel, she asked me if we could go on a date like a normal couple. I wouldn’t refuse her anything. Unfortunately, the circumstances around my last case prevented us from having our first date until tonight. I understand why she wants to take things slow. The intensity between us could overpower our senses, especially mine, and then what? I could easily make another soul-shattering mistake and end up crossing over to the other side to never return. It almost happened the last time. We need to let our relationship develop in the most natural way we can for both our sakes.

  Taking a step closer to her, I watch her breathe in and hold it. I reach down and take her warm hand in mine. She squeezes my hand gently and leans in close so her shoulder brushes against my arm. Before changing my mind and asking her if we can stay in for the night, I move us toward the door.

  She stops. “Wait. You haven’t told me what we’re doing. Am I dressed right? Do I need to bring anything?”

  Since she asked me to look, I take a long appreciative look at her slender body from head to toes and back up again. Her long hair is loose and lies over her shoulder like black silk. The four-leaf clover charm I gave her rests at the base of her throat.

  “Just yourself. Come on,” I say, and lead her downstairs.

  Jared and Caleb’s voices filter through the house from the direction of the kitchen.

  “I’m going to say goodbye to the boys and grab my bag. Did you really drive here?”

  “I did.”

  She gives me a look again as if to say, “How did you get a car?” but only says, “I’ll be outside in a sec.”

  I give her the seconds she needs and wait by Vivi’s vintage, fully restored, late forties Ford pickup truck. While I stare appreciatively at the sage green paint with black fenders and the shiny wood deck inside the truck’s bed I hear a familiar voice behind me.

  “What are you doing here, Nathaniel?”

  He doesn’t sound or look too happy to see me. “Visiting a friend.”

  “But not me. Your oldest friend.”

  “I thought you wouldn’t want to see me.”

  “I don’t. That doesn’t mean there aren’t things which need to be said.”

  “I haven’t had time to come find you,” I say.

  “You have the time to drive here and visit with your old case,” he points out.

  “I’m on an errand for my new client.”

  He doesn’t acknowledge this and continues on with his own agenda. “Or are you here to see the sister again?”

  Marcus more than likely knows the answer already, but he wants me to admit to him what I’m about. This abrupt conversation with little or no feeling is a painful reminder of the rift between us and I only have myself to blame. Past friends or not, Marcus has authority over me and I have not been a hundred percent upfront with him since I met Juliana. I haven’t told him any direct lies, but the omission is a version of lying.

  The front porch light turns on and Juliana walks out the door and down the steps, answering Marcus’s last question. She stops when she sees Marcus and me standing in the driveway.

  “If you’ll excuse me,” I say and focus on my date.

  He steps in front of me, blocking my view of Juliana. “You come find me, man. We have to talk. And stay away from Jared. I will stop you if try to delay his passing again.”

  This is the first time I have ever heard any kind of threat from my mentor and it unsettles me. “Fine.”

  Marcus disappears without another word. I suspect he’s only inside the house with Jared. Juliana’s face is even paler than normal and I hate that I’ve brought her so much uneasiness. She should not know about any of this. My fists clench seeing her upset, but she walks over and reaches for the passenger side door. Beating her to it, I open the heavy metal door and she climbs in, wordless but apparently still willing to go ahead with our uncon
ventional, supposedly normal, date.

  Seated on the opposite side of the bench, I grip the wheel and grit my teeth with equal pressure. An uncomfortable silence stills the air in the cab.

  “I guess it’s my turn to say, if you’re not sure about this, I completely understand.”

  Hearing her speak is enough to break the spell of anger, frustration, and uncertainty. She does that for me. When all I can see is despair, she is a comforting light in the dark. I relax my fingers first, then my jaw, feeling embarrassed at my reaction to Marcus. That’s something else she does to me. When I see her upset I lose the ability to react appropriately. Even now I’m avoiding her face. If there’s fear in her eyes, I’m not sure what I’ll do. Go pound in Marcus’s face? That won’t help anything except my ego. And I know well enough the rewards of false bravado last about as long as the life cycle of a mayfly. That’s not very long. Regret and shame last much longer. Marcus wouldn’t even feel it and things are already tenuous between us.

  “I can drive if you want to save your energy,” she offers.

  I dare to look up, not totally meeting her eyes, then immediately turn to the windshield. Did I mention Juliana Crowson is intense? A volcano next to the ocean. There’s more to her than that. She’s also a fox disguised as a woman. She lives at the border between two different realms and can travel to either. This is how she sees me so clearly and why she is so sensitive to other’s emotions. “Let’s go,” I say and start the engine before I lose my nerve.

  As I drive into town I make every attempt to not think about my run-in with Marcus and focus on my evening, but it’s difficult and I find myself being quiet. When a fox runs across the road and I look over at Juliana and see her shy smile, I realize how rude I’m being.

  “They’re everywhere you go, aren’t they?” I say. My voice sounds hoarse and quieter than I mean it to.

  “Pretty much. I may be starting to believe your stories.”